Descendants: Mal and Evie's Future Together
by GokaiRed11
Summary: This story is about Mal and Evie being a couple. As their relationship progresses, Mal has a dream about her and Evie living in a luxurious home. With her mind set, she plans her way to achieving that dream. For it will require a lot of work and it will not be easy.
1. Starting Slow

Starting Slow

_[Mal and Evie's dorm room. 2:10 am]_

Mal's POV

I woke up to go to the bathroom. After that, I went back to my bed and laid down. I turned to look at Evie, who was still asleep. I smiled as I was watching her sleep. She then made a noise which startled me and cause me to turn the other way and pretend I was asleep. But after a few moments, I turned back and saw she was still asleep. I smiled once again, and then had an idea. I got up and walked over to her and sat at the edge of her bed. I gently shook her to wake her up. Sometimes it's hard to wake her up, other times it's not. This time was kind of in between. After starting to wake up, she groaned and opened her eyes to see me.

"Mal?" she asked sleepily.

"Hey." I said.

"Hi. What time is it?" she asked.

I look over at a clock which read 2:15.

"2:15" I replied.

"What? Why?" she asked, starting to wake up a little.

"Because it can be." I replied.

Sometimes I like to say things that confuses Evie. Nothing major or too mean, but something about the way her expressions are turns me on. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, we're a couple. Evie and I fell in love shortly after first coming to Auradon. Really when we began sleeping in the same room together a lot.

"What?" Evie asked again.

I laughed a little. Evie sat up, turned on a lamp, and looked at me.

"What is it, Mal? Why did you wake me up?"

She looked at the clock.

"Especially at this time?"

"Because I saw you and I feel like doing something with you." I replied.

Evie gave a confused look.

"Like?"

I had to stop and think a minute. I didn't think things this far ahead. My only thought was to wake up Evie. You know when you go ask someone a question, but when you ask the question you forget some details of what you're trying to ask? It's like that. Evie and I are still on first base. I tried second base with her once, but she said she wasn't ready for that yet. That was six months ago. I think she's close now. Hey, I just got a second idea! Let's see if it will work.

"I wanted to kiss you." I said.

"And you woke me up for that? You could have kissed me when I was still asleep." she said.

"Not like this."

I put my hands on her cheeks and pulled her into a long, passionate kiss.

"How did that feel?" I asked after.

"Good." she replied, smiling a little.

"Good. Now, Evie. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Can we go to the next level now?"

Evie had an uncomfortable look on her face. I guess I should've asked that a little better.

"Come on, its me. Okay, you don't have to show me anything. Just let me feel. I'll be okay with that." I said.

"You will?" she asked.

"For now." I replied.

"Okay." she said after a little hesitation.

I put my hands on her sides, but I could tell she was still not comfortable. I didn't understand that. How come she was uncomfortable? Maybe I needed to kiss her more? Maybe because she's not in the mood like I am? Or maybe it's because she's not fully awake. One thing's for sure: I didn't want to do this to her anymore. It's not right. Not now.

"_Maybe another time_." I thought.

I took my hands off her and got up. Evie looked at me, confused.

"I'm sorry." I said.

I leaned down and kissed her, turned off the lamp, and went back and laid down in my bed. Evie looked at me with a sad expression. Not wanting to endure it anymore, I turned over away from her and closed my eyes, falling asleep not long after that. I didn't know how long it took for Evie to fall back asleep but right before I did, I heard her softly say "What is wrong with me? I love her.".

The next morning, I woke up and looked around. Evie was nowhere in the room. Then I saw why.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed.

I was late. I looked at the clock and saw it was 9:36. I couldn't believe I slept through the alarm. But yet I could. Go figure. But what I couldn't figure was why Evie didn't wake me. Then I remembered last night.

"Oh god, she's upset with me." I said.

I quickly got ready, grabbed my stuff and right before I was about to leave the room, I saw a note on the door.

"_Meet me at the bleachers during lunch today. We need to talk. Or really I need to talk. Love, Evie_"

Well she put "love" in it so I guess things aren't too bad. I put the note aside and ran out.

[_Tourney Field. 12:30pm_]

Mal's POV

I made my way to the bleachers like Evie said and when I got there, I saw her.

"_There she is. Looking beautiful as ever_." I thought.

I slowly approached her. When Evie saw me, she smiled.

"Hey." she greeted.

"Hi." I greeted back.

As I stood in front of her, she hugged me. Naturally, I hugged her back, although I was surprised. But wow she smelled really good. A new perfume, one I have never smelled before. After the hug, she took my hand and led me to a more private area.

"I've been thinking a lot about last night. And first off, I'm really sorry." she said.

"No I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Mal, let me speak first. You need to hear me out."

I nodded and stayed quiet.

"There's no reason why you should be sorry. It's been six months. A half a year, and since we are really in love with each other, we should be going to the next level. So tonight, if it's okay with you, I would like to try."

"Of course it's okay with me. As long it is okay with you. Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy." I said.

"Are you sure? That sounded a little cliché." she said.

I smirked.

"I am. I mean it." I said.

"Okay."

"I love you, Evie."

"I love you too, Mal."


	2. Afterschool Walk

_Afterschool Walk_

_[Mal and Evie's dorm room. 4:10 pm]_

Mal's POV

After what seemed like a very long day, we finally returned back to our dorm. Evie laid in her bed and I laid in mine. After a few minutes I got up and grabbed my bag.

"I guess we should start on our homework. How much do you have to do?" I asked.

"Not much." Evie replied.

"Oh really?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I could tell she was lying, and I loved it. I grabbed her bag as well and walked over to her bed and sat down next to her.

"_Soo_, anything exciting happen today?" I asked.

"No. Why? Mal, what did you do?" Evie asked.

"Whoa, hold up! Why do you always assume I did something?" I asked.

"Mal, I know you very well. You're a good girl, but sometimes you can be mischievous." she said.

"Yeah, well…"

I couldn't think of anything to respond to that.

"Alright, let's begin our homework. The sooner we get it done, the sooner you and I can have some quality time together." Evie said.

I nodded and smiled. Evie kissed me and we began our homework. Evie started her science homework, while I started my virtues and values homework. Which I kinda hated. Evie got done way before me and kindly helped me. After that, we had some snacks. Evie checked on the status of her clothing business on her laptop. Disappointed to see no new orders, she shrugged it off.

"People will come to their senses." she said as she returned to her bed.

We sat for awhile. Couldn't think of anything to do. I sat spacing out, until Evie startled me.

"Hey, I got an idea!" she said.

I jumped a little when she hit my arm.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's go for a walk." she suggested.

She smiled at me as I looked at her. She has a nice smile.

"That's your idea?" I asked.

"Yeah." she replied.

"That's your idea for quality alone time?"

"Yeah. Why? What's your idea?"

I looked around the room, trying to come up with one quickly. But I couldn't. Damn it! She got me again. She better stop doing that, cause I'm starting to like it.

"Alright, let's go!" she said as she got up.

I followed her out of the room and outside. Evie sees beauty where I don't. So even though we have many opposite likings, we somehow get along very well. And look where we are now. As we were walking outside, we heard some guys talking and laughing. Curious to know what was going on, we walked in the direction of the voices and saw our best friends Jay and Carlos.

"Hey, guys." I greeted.

"Hi, Mal. Hi, Evie." they greeted back.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Oh we were just talking." Carlos said.

"About?"

"Oh nothing."

"Come on, tell me. If it's a secret, then fill me in."

"Well, we don't want to say anything in front of Evie." Jay said.

I turned and looked at Evie, who raised a brow at Jay. I smirked and looked back at Jay.

"Oh I'm sure she's heard worse. Come on, tell me." I said.

"We were thinking on pulling a prank on Audrey." Carlos said.

Oh god! I could've went all day without hearing that name. Sure we had a truce when Evie, Carlos, Jay and I turned to good, but despite that, she still doesn't totally like us and is very suspicious of us. Like we're going to do anything evil. Come on.

"And _whyy_?" I asked, kind of not wanting to know.

"I don't know. But it sounds fun." Carlos said.

"Yeah. But it won't be anything real harsh. It'll be like putting a whoopie cushion in a chair." said Jay.

"Or adding lemon juice to someone's water." said Carlos.

"Oh that's a good one. We should do that." Jay said to Carlos.

"Join us, Mal!" said Carlos.

"Well...okay!" I said.

"Yay!" Carlos exclaimed.

As I was about to follow them, I felt Evie's hand on my right shoulder.

"Oh, right." I said.

Jay and Carlos stopped and turned around.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm afraid I won't be able to join you." I said.

"And it's best if you don't. Audrey dislikes you the most. You don't need to do anything to make her think any less of you." Evie said.

As much as I hated it, she was right.

"That's okay, Mal. We'll think about you." said Jay.

"Yeah, we'll even take pictures." said Carlos.

"Thanks, guys." I said.

They then ran off. As I looked back at Evie, she was looking at me in a strange way. Almost like she was glaring at me.

"What?!" I asked.

"You should've stopped them." she said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean you should've stopped them."

"Why?"

"Because, they are going to go ahead with their prank and Audrey is going to blame all of us."

"Oh, Evie, you worry too much sometimes."

"But-"

"Now, now, I'm glad you stopped me though. Otherwise we wouldn't be continuing on our walk, now would we?"

Evie sighed.

"Well, no." she said.

I grabbed Evie's hand and kissed her.

"Shall we?" I asked.

Evie smiled.

"Sure." she said.

We walked and talked until we eventually found ourselves in the woods.

_[The Enchanted Lake. 5:50 pm]_

Mal's POV

"We'll stop here for today." Evie said.

"Okay." I said.

I have to admit. It is nice and peaceful here. But before I could look around anymore, Evie grabbed me and pulled me into a long kiss. After the kiss, I figured it out.

"You planned this, didn't you?" I asked.

Evie smiled and nodded.

"Yes. I figured this is the perfect place. Look around. It's quiet and relaxing. No one is here but us and-"

"And you're thinking we should take things to the next level here?!"

"What? No! We'll be doing that in my bed." Evie said with a wink.

"Is that part of your plan as well?" I asked.

"Of course. I want our first time to be perfect and amazing." Evie said.

"Well, you are my princess. And princesses have to make sure everything is perfect." I said.

"Thank you. Now, kiss me." Evie said.

Oh, Evie is becoming the more dominant one in the relationship now. I like that. The sweet and gentle girl is becoming a little aggressive. Oh that really turns me on now. Evie and I kissed our way over to a nearby table. But as we got to it, Evie stopped.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Um, I'm not sure who should be on top." she replied.

"What?"

"Well, who should be the one on top? You or me?"

"On top of what?"

"On top of each other! Should I be on top of you, or should you be on top of me?" Evie asked.

"You didn't figure that out in your little plan?" I asked.

"No."

I laughed.

"Not so sophisticated now, are you?" I asked.

Before Evie could answer, I grabbed her and pulled her up onto the table. That answered her question and we continued on. We kissed and cuddled for the next hour. It was then getting dark.

"We better start heading back." I said as I got off the table and helped Evie off.

"Yeah." she said.

"You still want to do this tonight?" I asked.

"Of course. I'm curious to know what your body looks like." Evie replied.

"Same." I said.

We started our walk back while holding hands. It was completely dark out when we got back to our dorm room. But before we were able to enter our room, Audrey stood at the door with her arms folded and glaring at us.


	3. Mal's Dream

_Mal's Dream_

_[Mal and Evie's dorm room. 7:18 pm]_

Mal's POV

"H-hey, Audrey. Look at you! What's up?" I said, trying to be friendly.

"You know very well what's up." Audrey said.

"I don't, I'm afraid. Evie, do you know what's up?" I asked.

"Oh save it, Mal! You know why I'm here!"

I sighed.

"Jay and Carlos?" I asked.

"Duh!" Audrey replied.

"Okay, Audrey, calm down. Tell us, what did they do?" Evie asked.

"Those two boys got into my bathroom and somehow messed with the piping and switched the cold water with hot water!"

I stifled a laugh, trying my best not to, but failed.

"This isn't funny!" Audrey exclaimed.

"Next time I see them I will talk to them and have them apologize." Evie said.

"Alright fine. Only because I like you better than Mal." said Audrey.

She then walked away. Evie looked at me, who was still laughing.

"That isn't really funny." she said.

"Oh, come on, Evie. It is funny. It's okay, you can let your real feelings about it out now." I said.

Evie still didn't laugh.

"Alright fine. You're more sympathetic than I am so I guess I can understand from your view. Sorta." I said.

We walked in our room and Evie closed and locked the door. Putting what happened behind us, we continued to do as we planned. We took our shoes off and I laid in Evie's bed and this time she got on top of me. As always, we started out kissing. But after about 10 kisses, Evie got up and took off her jacket. That was understandable. I was feeling a little warm too, so I took mine off as well. But I quickly realized Evie didn't take hers off because she was feeling warm. She was ready. Faster than I was. I sat there, frozen as I watched Evie take off her shirt, then her bra. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Her smile started off as a shy one, but then a more seductive one. She then got back up unto the bed and sat in front of me. My eyes focused on her chest. I'm not giving any description, because, well, she's my girl. But she's very beautiful.

"I'll take your silence to be a loss of words for my beauty." Evie said.

I swallowed.

"Y-yes." I managed to say after a minute of stillness.

I looked back up at her and kissed her.

"You're turn." she whispered in my left ear.

I complied. Did what she did and it looked like Evie had the same reaction. We laid back down, her on top of me, and resumed kissing while feeling each other for what I think was about an hour. But then before we knew it, we fell asleep. That is the first time we really slept with each other. While we were asleep, I had an amazing dream about myself and Evie. I can't remember all the details but I can remember most of it.

Somehow and for some reason we left Auradon. In fact I don't even know where we were. Nowhere familiar that's for sure. But from what I can remember we were in one of those contemporary style houses. I think we were living in it. Maybe we owned it. I don't know. Right now there is no way we could afford the mortgage on those. But anyway, it was night time, and I walked into this amazing kitchen. White flooring, expensive looking appliances, grey cabinets, and marble countertops. Evie was there, cooking, and she looked amazing as well. She had a really nice shoulder less blue dress on with a sparkling silver tiara. I don't know what I was wearing, though. You never really see yourself in dreams.

"_Hi, Mal. Welcome home." _she said.

I sat on a barstool that was at this island that also had a marble top. She walked over to me and gave me a big hug and a kiss. Then she returned to cooking.

"_Dinner will be ready in about five minutes."_ she said.

"_Okay."_ I said back.

I got up and walked out of the kitchen into what looked like a four seasons room. I was absolutely mind blown from what I was seeing through the windows. Where ever we were, it was amazing. I know I said that word a lot, but it truly was. The house wasn't in a neighborhood. Instead it seemed like we live on a big piece of land that was maybe an acre. There were tall pine trees and fir trees all around and not far in the distance I saw the moonlight being reflected onto a large body of water. I then saw Evie standing next to me.

"_Well worth the price, don't you think?"_ she asked.

"_Yes. And I'm glad I was able to do it. All for you."_ I replied back.

Wait, how did I do this? Did I buy this house? How? I hope I didn't do anything bad to buy it.

"_Dinner is ready."_ Evie said.

I followed her to the dining room, which was connected to the kitchen and living room. Entirely open concept. I remember the living room. We had lots of high end stuff. Nothing seemed inexpensive. So how did Evie and I become very wealthy? I don't think I'll ever know. Evie had the food already on plates that was placed on the dining table. It was some kind of casserole. I took a bite and it seemed I like it. Evie smiled at me as she watched me eat.

"_I'm glad you like it. It's a new recipe."_ she said.

"_It's really good."_ I said.

"_Good! I'll log it into my book."_ Evie said.

After we finished eating, Evie cleaned up the kitchen. She then grabbed my hand and told me to follow her to our bedroom. Our bedroom was on the second floor. The staircase leading to the second floor was black in color with a black railing on a wall that was right next to the staircase. And on the other side of the staircase was another black railing but connected into the steps with three big squares of glass that acted as windows. The hallway was wide and had lots of doors. When we got to our bedroom, I remembered seeing a wall that was an blue accent wall. I'm guessing I did that for Evie as well. Can't blame myself though, I would do anything to make her happy.

There was a queen size bed which we most likely both slept in, as well as two end tables, many shelves on the walls that had some of our things placed on it as well as some pictures of us. I never did see the bathroom, but I'm sure it was nice. I did get a glimpse of our closet. Massive walk in with lots of storage space that looked like it was more for Evie than for me. However the kitchen, living room, four seasons room, and our bedroom were the only rooms I remember seeing. Don't know how big the house was, or how many rooms it had.

"_I want to tell you some great news."_ Evie said.

"_Oh?"_ I said.

"_Yes! Okay, remember that operation I had?"_ Evie asked.

Operation? Evie, what are you talking about?

"_Yeah."_ I replied.

"_Well...it's a success!"_ she said.

"_Really?"_ I asked.

"_Yes! We're going to be parents because I'm pregnant!"_ Evie said excitedly.

What?! As much as I hate it, and I really hate it, that is where my dream ends. And you can thank those ridiculous groundskeepers who had to work right outside our room window for that. I woke up to the sounds of leaf blowers and hedge trimmers. I sat up in the bed, dazed from what I just went through. I looked at Evie, who was still asleep, and kissed her softly on her forehead.

"Even though we may never live that kind of life, I'll be happy no matter where we are as long as I'm with you." I whispered.


	4. Mal's Plan

_Mal's Plan_

_[Mal and Evie's dorm room. 7:12 am]_

Evie's POV

I opened my eyes and stretched. I then looked to my left and saw Mal, sitting up and looking a little sad.

"Hey. Good morning." I said.

Mal looked at me, softly smiled.

"Hey." she said back.

"What's wrong? You look like you've been crying." I said.

"It's nothing. Just allergies." Mal lied.

"Mal, come on. It's okay. You know you can tell me anything." I said as I hugged her.

Her skin felt very soft, and a little cold. I put my blanket around her and hugged her as we both rubbed each other's bare backs.

"I wish we can go somewhere really nice." Mal said.

I have to say I was a little surprised when she said that. But every once in awhile she gets a little depressed. The older memories still gets to her. Which I can understand.

"We can. Summer break starts in a few weeks. We can go someplace really nice then." I suggested.

"I know. But I kinda want to go somewhere sooner than that."

I thought for a moment, then had an idea. Since my idea with the lake worked, I think I'll try something similar.

"Okay. Well today is Friday. How about after school, we go to the beach?" I asked.

"The beach?" Mal asked, not sounding too happy about that idea.

"Yeah." I said.

"No. Evie, you know I can't swim."

"You don't have too. We can just walk alongside the ocean."

"I don't know..."

"You were okay with being at the lake yesterday."

"Well...okay." Mal said with a small smile.

"That's my girl." I said happily.

I gave her a big kiss and got up. I put my bra, shirt, and shoes back on and gave Mal another kiss.

"I'm going to get some breakfast. Is there anything special you would like to have?" I asked.

"No, that's okay. I'll have what you'll have." Mal replied.

"Okay. I love you." I said.

"I love you too, Evie." Mal said.

I blew Mal a kiss and left the room. It was a awhile before I knew about the dream she had about us living in the luxury home. Mal told me after she had a horrible nightmare. But that will be later on. But what I knew at this time was whatever is bothering her, is still bothering her. And I'm hoping some breakfast and some love will make her feel better.

Mal's POV

Thinking about that dream a second time, I decided I was going to do what I can to make it come true. It will take a lot of work, and it definitely will not be easy, but one day, Evie and I will live in our own luxurious home.

"I can't tell Evie about my dream. Otherwise it may not come true. Wait, are dreams wishes? Whatever. I still can't tell her. Even though she's the love of my life. So I'm going to have to do this myself."

I got out of bed and changed my clothes. I walked over to the window and looked out. I saw the mountains in the distance. Were we living in the mountains? No. I don't think so. Maybe close though. I got up and walked over to the bookcase in our room and got a map and sat on my bed. The map showed the whole United States of Auradon. The homeland to all us heros and villains. I looked at it for a while, trying to figure out where Evie and I were. We weren't here in Auradon, but maybe in a different kingdom or some other place? Like Corona, Charmington, maybe even Arendelle? But none of the locations seemed right. I put the map away and saw Evie's laptop.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind." I said.

I opened it and searched "best forests to live in the world" and looked at pictures of forests in different locations across the globe. Many of them were far from Auradon. After several minutes of looking, I was about to give up when I saw a picture of a forest that looked identical to the one in my dream. It was located in the North American continent in a country called Canada. I researched further in and found out that the country has lots of lakes as well.

"Is this where we were?"

I stared at a picture of a forest with a lake that was in that country for a minute or so, trying to visualize the details of the dream in my mind. But then I was interrupted by the sound of Evie's voice from the hallway. I closed the webpages and her laptop, and quickly ran back over to Evie's bed as the door opened.

Evie's POV

After I got back from the cafeteria, I saw Mal was dressed and looking out the window. I sat the food down on a table that we had, walked over to her and hugged her from behind.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking." she replied.

"About?"

Mal shrugged.

"Nothing important. What did you get?" she asked.

"The usual, bacon and eggs." I replied as we walked over to the table.

We ate our food, and then took turns getting ready in the bathroom. We seen that we had a little spare time to kill, so what better than to make out? We laid in my bed, Mal on top of me.

"Evie?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to go to class today."

"Why not?"

"Because, I just don't feel like it."

I lowered myself to where my eyes were looking at Mal's.

"What's going on, Mal? And don't say it's nothing, because it is definitely something." I said.

Mal sighed.

"Okay. I had a dream about us. A wonderful dream about us. And I wish it was real." Mal said.

"Is it about our relationship? Because I do plan on taking it to the point where we would have sex." I said.

"And I would like that. But that's not what my dream was about."

"Then what was it about?"

Mal hesitated. She was holding it back.

"Please tell me. You said it's about us, so therefore, I have a right to know." I said.

Mal took a deep breath.

"I..I can't." she said, nervously.

"Why not?"

"Because...I want it to be a surprise when I make it come true. I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?!"

I never meant to anger her. I can be a little nosy at times, and most of the time, I don't even realize it. I happen to glance over Mal and saw the time.

"Oh shoot, I gotta go." I said.

I got up and grabbed my bag. I walked back to Mal, who was sitting on the edge of my bed. I kneeled down and held her hands.

"Okay, you don't have to talk about it anymore. I won't ask about it any longer. But if you ever need to talk, just remember, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Okay? I love you, Mal."

Mal softly smiled.

"I love you too, Evie."

We hugged and kissed a few times.

"Okay, I'll see you at lunch. Don't be late to class." I said as I walked to the door.

"I won't." Mal said.

I smiled, blew her a kiss, then left.

[_Auradon Prep. 8:54 am_]

Mal's POV

I left shortly after Evie. I went to my locker to get my stuff for my first class when Ben walked over to me.

"Hello, Mal."

I closed my locker and looked at him.

"Hello." I said.

"May I talk to you in my office?"

"Why?"

"Please, just come with me."

I sighed, but complied. I followed him into his office. Not bad looking, I have to say.

"What did I do?" I asked.

"It's okay, Mal. You're not in trouble. I just want to talk to you about your attendance." he said.

"Oh that." I said.

"You've been late quite a few times this week. Later than the allowed grace period. Is everything okay?"

Frankly, I'm quite surprised when he asked that. But he is the one who allowed my friends and I to come here. So of course he asked. The thought about my dream of Evie and I came rushing in my mind.

"Yeah. Everything is alright. I'll be more better on that. I promise." I said.

"Okay then. I just wanted to give you a warning. Now, I'll write you a pass so you can get to class." he said.

As he was doing that, I kept thinking about that home. But then I realized that Evie and I haven't even planned a future.

"Ben, what do you think the others will do in their life after they graduate?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, well, what will they do?"

"Well, probably most of them will pursue what they study here. It's hard to tell, since our generation is a lot different from our parents. Why do you ask?"

"No reason really. Just curious. I've been thinking a lot about the future lately." I replied.

"Well good. That's a great thing to do. You keep doing that, and you'll have a great start in life."

He let me leave, and I went to my class.


	5. Evie's Day

_Evie's Day_

_[Cafeteria. 12:00 pm]_

Evie's POV

Lunch time, yay! This school makes some awesome meals. I got my lunch and Mal's as well, sat at a table, and waited for her. A minute later, I saw her walk in. I waved her over and she sat next to me.

"Hi, Mal." I greeted warmly.

"Hey." Mal said.

She seemed to be better.

"Here, made with love." I said as I handed Mal her lunch.

"Really?" Mal asked.

"Well, if I made it, yeah." I said.

After we ate, we took a walk around the courtyard and sat by a tall tree. Mal was quiet and spacing out. I kissed her on the cheek to break her out of her thought. She looked at me, very calm. A little too calm.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked.

"Baby?" she asked.

I smiled and hugged her.

"Yeah. Is that okay?" I asked.

"Well, as long as you're the only one who calls me that, I'm alright with it."

"Nice!" I said, excitedly.

We kissed a few times, until Audrey walked over to us. That's when things started to go downhill with Mal again.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite couple." she said, sarcastically of course.

Mal scoffed.

"What do you want?" Mal asked, angrily.

"Be nice." I whispered to her.

"An apology. Which I haven't got yet." Audrey replied.

"What do I have to apologize for?" Mal asked.

"Not you. I was speaking to Evie."

"I haven't seen them today." I said.

"Well you better find them. Or go to their dorms." Audrey said.

"Or better yet, why don't you find them yourself?" Mal asked.

"Mal!" I exclaimed.

"What? She's telling you to do something she can do herself. That's just laziness." Mal said.

"Mal!" I said again.

I looked back at Audrey.

"I will find them. I promise." I said.

"Okay." Audrey said and walked away.

"Why did you say you would do that?" Mal asked.

"Because I'm being nice." I replied.

"Yeah but-"

"Mal, I am not going to start an argument with her."

"Evie, sometimes you have to fight and stand up for yourself. Don't let her use you."

"I'm not."

"Then why did you say you would? If I was you, I would've told her off and let her deal with the situation herself."

"And she would get you kicked out of Auradon. And you would get sent back to the Isle. And you wouldn't ever see me again."

"Whoa! What's that supposed to mean?" Mal asked.

"What?"

"What's that's supposed to mean? You wouldn't ever see me again."

I sighed.

"You would be stuck there forever and I wouldn't be able to go see you." I said.

"Oh, right."

"Mal, what is going on with you? You've been acting weird all day. Now what is going on?" I asked.

Before she could answer, the bell sounded off, indicating lunch was over.

"We'll continue this conversation after school." I said.

I gave her a kiss, got up, and walked to my class. I hate to see her like the way she is, so tonight, I'm putting an end to it. As I was at my locker, Chad walked over to me. Even though Mal and I have been dating for almost a year now, he still tries to hit on me.

"Hey, beautiful." he said.

I slammed my locker shut and looked at him, annoyed.

"What?" I said as more of a remark rather than a question.

"How are things with you and Mal?" he asked.

"Good." I replied.

"Really? Cause that's not what I saw. Any chance you and Mal might split?" he asked.

"If there was a chance, it would be beyond your lifetime." I said.

Did that make any sense?

"Oh really? Wow, Evie. That's cold." he said.

"But true." I said as I walked away.

I saw Mal during passing period. I didn't approach her for she was a ways in the distant. She looked alright, but I still plan on talking to her tonight. But as I was close to my next class, I saw Jay and Carlos talking and laughing. About time.

"Hey!" I said as I approached them.

"Hey, Evie!" Carlos said.

"What's up?" Jay asked.

"Oh, not much. Just walking." I said.

"Nice." said Jay.

"Oh, now I know what I want to say." I said, playing forgetful.

"What's that?" Carlos asked.

"What kind of prank did you play on Audrey?" I asked.

"Oh we...um..well..."

Jay and Carlos were trying to act like they didn't know anything. I facepalmed.

"Guys. I know what you did." I said.

"Well, then why did you ask?"

"Because I wanted to hear you say what you did. I don't know." I replied.

"Oh." Carlos said.

"Guys, you have to apologize to Audrey." I said.

"Why? No harm was done." Jay said.

"I know. But Audrey keeps bugging me. Well, actually she only bugged me once, but she will if you don't apologize. Besides, switching the water temperature? Don't you think that was going a little too far? You could've made her burn herself." I said.

"I know. We're sorry." said Jay.

"I know. But you better tell her that." I said.

"We will." Carlos said.

"Alright. I'll see you two later. I love you, guys." I said as I patted Jay and Carlos' shoulders.

"We love you too." Carlos said.

I smiled and continued walking to class. Good. One problem is taken care of. Now, Mal, what can I do about you? Whatever this dream is of hers, she won't tell me. And I don't want to force it out of her. So if I can't get her to talk, then that'll be okay. I'll make sure we have a good time tonight.


	6. Seashore Talk

_Seashore Talk_

[_Auradon Bay. 5:22 pm_]

Evie's POV

After school ended for the day and the week, Mal and I returned to our dorm and took a long nap. Which we probably shouldn't have cause now we're going to be up way beyond our normal bedtime, but since it's now the weekend, that's alright. We made the long walk to the bay. When we got there, I grabbed Mal and pulled her into a hug. She was surprised at first, but hugged me back.

"Evie?"

"Shhhh. Just relax and enjoy the hug." I said.

I could feel Mal's tenseness loosen and we continued to hug for a minute or so until we sat on the beachy sand.

"So why did you want to come here?" Mal asked.

"I thought we could take a little time to ourselves. I've heard that the sound of ocean waves are very relaxing."

Mal smirked.

"You read too many magazines." she said.

"Perhaps, but it's very informative." I said.

I held Mal's hands and looked at her.

"Talk to me." I said.

"About what?"

"Well, we'll start with your day. How was it?"

"Good." she replied.

"Just good? Anything exciting happen?"

"Did you do something?" Mal asked with an mischievous smile.

"What? No." I replied.

"Oh."

We sat in a few moments of silence. Seeing that Mal wasn't going to talk anymore about her day, I decided to tell her mine.

"Okay, I'll tell you about my day then."

Mal groaned quietly to herself. It was quiet, but I heard it. We do have our girl talk, but she isn't really into it like I am.

"I saw Jay and Carlos and I told them to apologize to Audrey and they said they will, which by now, I'm sure they did. So that is all taken care of. Oh! But when we get back to our room, I should check to see if any new orders came in for me. I haven't check at all today. But anyway, guess who I ran into, or really, who ran into me."

"I don't like guessing." Mal said.

"Chad."

Mal scoffed.

"Yeah? What did he want?" she asked.

"Nothing, really. Just wondering how you and I were and if there's a chance you and I might break up." I said.

Mal laughed.

"There's a bigger chance of me breaking his face than us breaking up."

I looked at Mal, who was smiling to herself. She looked like she was visualizing that in her mind. I grabbed her arm to get her out of that thought.

"Mal!" I said.

"What?"

"You're better than that." I said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." she said.

I kissed her.

"Okay, enough about that. Let's talk about you now." I said.

"Me?" Mal asked.

"Yes. Whatever dream you had has affected you." I said.

Mal scoffed and got up.

"I thought you said you weren't going to ask about it anymore." she said.

I sighed.

"I know, but, Mal, you aren't yourself right now." I said.

"Evie, I'm fine. I guess you could say that I'm going through a phase right now." she said.

"A phase?"

"That's the best way I can put it."

I got up as well and rubbed her shoulders.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

"No, but that's okay. I'll be alright. I promise."

"Okay."

I kissed the left side of her neck and laid my head on her shoulder. If she says she'll be alright, then I'll leave it be. I would like to know what the dream was about, but if she doesn't need to talk about it, no sense in bringing it up anymore. We both looked out into the water and saw a dolphin jump out of the water.

"Did you see that?" I asked.

"I did." Mal replied.

I smiled and got in front of her.

"What would you like to do?" I asked.

"You." Mal answered with a bit of a smirk.

I rolled my eyes.

"No, seriously. What would you like to do?"

"I don't know."

I sat back down and started playing with some sand.

"What are you doing?" Mal asked.

"Sit. Let's make something." I said.

Mal scoffed and sat down next to me.

"Seriously? This is what you had in mind?" she asked.

"Not really. I just came up with it."

As I was trying to make something with the sand, I noticed at the corner of my eye Mal staring at me.

"Evie?"

"Yeah?"

Without saying anymore, Mal hugged me. Her arms were over mine, so I wasn't able to hug her back. But I could tell that Mal just wanted to hug me. I let my head fall onto hers and we lovingly rubbed each other faces together.

"You feeling better now?" I asked.

"I am." Mal replied.

"Good."

Mal let me go and she too started playing with the sand. We tried to make a sand castle, but since we didn't have a bucket or anything, we failed. But we laughed and were starting to have a great time. We walked along the shore, holding hands. It felt very romantic. Maybe more to me than Mal, but she felt it too.

"What should we do tomorrow?" I asked.

"I don't know. Whatever you'd like, I guess." Mal replied.

"No, Mal. I want you to think of something. We've been doing what I want to do. It's time we do something you would like."

"But I don't know of anything right now."

"That's okay. You think on it tonight. Let me know tomorrow." I said.

"Do I have to?"

"Do you want to sit in your bed bored?"

"Well..no"

It soon got dark, and I originally planned for us to start heading back at sunset, but we decided to stay awhile longer. Night arrived and it was a beautiful one. The stars were out, and the light from the full moon was reflecting on the water.

"So beautiful, isn't it?" I asked.

"It is."

Mal turned and looked at me.

"Evie?"

"Yeah?" I said, looking back.

"I'm really glad I have you in my life. You truly are the best person I have ever met."

"Aww." I said as I hugged her.

I know, so many hugs and kisses, but Mal really needs them. I can't help but think Mal doesn't feel loved sometimes. Even though she is. Like I said before, she sometimes gets depressed. And well, her mother really didn't really help her any, so that's probably why she is the way she is. Except she's only like that around me. I guess it's because she trusts me the most.

"Mal, you will always be loved. If not by anyone else, then definitely by me. I am the one person you can always count on. The one person who will always love you. And the one person who will always be there for you. No matter what."

"Thanks, Evie. I love you."

"And I love you. Always."

Hopefully after hearing what I said, it will bring some kind of closure to Mal's fear of abandonment and we can live more happily together. And it does. The upcoming days after this will be full of excitement.


	7. Our Beginning

_Our Beginning_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 6:44 am_]

Mal's POV

I had been awake since about six. The sound of thunder woke me up. I was thinking about what Evie and I should do today. Thank you Evie for putting me in this situation. But she has a point. Would I like to spend the day in my bed bored? No, not really. I paced around the room before sitting in my bed. I looked at Evie, who was still asleep. How can she still sleep when there's a lot of thunder? Well, she can be a deep sleeper sometimes. I then looked at the window and saw it was still raining. I smiled at Evie. She looks so beautiful.

Another thought came to my head: the day when Evie and I started dating. Oh yeah! I should tell you about that. Or for me, reminisce about it. Okay, well like I said in the beginning, we were a couple shortly after coming to Auradon. Mostly because we slept in the same room together. But that is, what they call, a tip of the iceberg. It wasn't easy getting our relationship started. But we eventually got together, when it was raining outside. I hope you like a long chapter, because this wouldn't make much sense if it wasn't. Allow me to set the scene.

Evie and I were at the lockers getting our books and materials we would need for class. Evie looked up at the sky and saw that rain clouds were starting to form.

"_I hope it doesn't rain today. I really don't want my hair to get messed up._" she said.

"_Oh, you'll be fine._" I said.

Evie was taking part in a small concert that Audrey was holding. She closed her locker and lightly hugged me.

"_I'll see you later, Mal._" Evie said.

"_Okay, bye._"

Evie walked away, but unknowingly to her, I was watching her.

"_She is so hot._" I said to myself.

Yeah, I developed a crush on Evie. And for a while I was really disgusted with myself.

"_No. Come on, Mal. Get a hold of yourself. She's your best friend. She's looking for a prince, not a princess. But damn, she is so hot._" I said to myself.

I couldn't help but continue to have the feelings. I put some books in my bag and turned around, but accidentally knocked into Lonnie.

"_Oh, I am so sorry, Lonnie. I did not see you there._" I said.

"_That's okay, Mal._" said Lonnie.

But then she smirked at me.

"_What?_" I asked.

"_I heard you._" she said.

"_What are you talking about?_" I asked.

"_I heard you. 'She is so hot.' You got a crush on Evie, don't you?_"

I was shocked.

"_Shush!_" I said.

I frantically looked around to make sure no one was around. Luckily there wasn't. I turned back and glared at Lonnie.

"_You were not just listening to me. You did not hear anything._" I said.

"_Relax, Mal. Your secret is safe with me._" she said.

"_Really?_"

"_Yeah. There's nothing wrong with having feelings for your best friend._"

"_Are you just saying that?_"

"_No, not at all. You know what they say, great friends make great lovers._"

I laughed.

"_Who says that?_"

Lonnie shrugged.

"_Friends who are in love?_" she said with delay.

"_You're so full of it._"

"_Maybe, but if there is anything I can do to help you two get together, let me know._" she said.

"_Thanks, but, no thanks. There is no way Evie and I would ever get together. She loves me, but not that much._" I said.

The bell rang, indicating that passing period was almost over. I grabbed my bag and faked a smile at her as I walked away. So yeah, Lonnie does have a part in this. I didn't like her very much in the beginning because she was mostly happy. But she is a nice person and was one of the first to accept me and my friends in Auradon. And I do have a lot to thank her for. Anyway, as the day went on, the skies grew darker and darker, until it started to rain around noon. Lunch started, and I met up with Evie as we were walking to the cafeteria.

"_Hey!_" I said.

"_Oh, hi, Mal._" she said, a little sad.

"_What's wrong?_"

"_It's raining._" she said.

"_Yeah, so?_" I asked.

Evie touched her hair.

"_Oh, and you're upset because you think it's ruined._" I said.

"_Yeah._"

"_Well, don't be. It still looks really nice. Just like you look really nice. Well maybe nice isn't the word. Beautiful is more like it. You look beautiful, Evie._"

I stopped and thought about what I had just said.

"_Careful, Mal. Don't reveal your feelings all at once._" I thought.

"_You really think so?_" Evie asked.

"_Absolutely._" I replied.

Evie smiled and hugged me.

"_Thanks, Mal. You truly are the greatest friend ever!_" she said as she hugged me.

Friend. Damn it! I want to be more than friends with her. More than best friends. We walked to the cafeteria where we ate lunch together like we do now. After I finished, I sat, looking out the window, and spacing out.

"_What are you thinking about?_" Evie asked, breaking me out of my thought.

"_Oh nothing. Just watching the rain._" I replied.

Yeah, right. I was thinking about me being with Evie, of course. But I couldn't tell her that. I have to be careful. I don't want to freak Evie out. Maybe I will need Lonnie's help after all. I'm not like Evie. I never really been in a relationship because I think they are a waste of time. Or at least that's what I thought about boyfriends. But girlfriends, never gave that a thought.

"_Okay, well I won't be back to our dorm after school. I have to go to Audrey's rehearsal._" Evie said.

"_Okay. When's the show again?_" I asked.

"_Tomorrow night at six. Don't tell me you forgot._"

"_No I didn't. I just forgot when that's all._"

I was thinking whether I should try and ask Evie out after the concert. But I was overlooking something, which I didn't know then. After lunch, we headed to our own classes. The rest of the day went well. But I knew I would need some help. So I went and looked for Lonnie. Luckily, I was able to catch her in the hallway.

"_Hey, Lonnie._" I said.

"_Oh, hi, Mal! What's up?_" she asked.

"_You know._" I said.

"_Oh, right._" she said, knowing what I was hinting at.

"_I need your help after all. I've never been in a relationship before, so I'm new at this._" I said.

"_That's alright, Mal. Give me a little time to come up with some ideas._"

"_Really?_" I asked.

"_Sorry. But we have to be perfect about this. We can't mess it up._" she said.

"_Right. Okay, I guess I'll see you later then._" I said.

"_You will._" she said.

We went our separate ways. Later after my last class, as I was walking down the hallway, I saw Evie walk into a classroom. Thinking whether I should follow her, I decided to do it anyway. I walked into the classroom. I looked around but didn't see Evie.

"_I thought I seen her walk in here._" I said.

I heard the door the door open behind me. I turned around and saw it was Lonnie.

"_Hey, Mal, what are you doing here?_" she asked.

"_I thought I saw Evie walk in here._" I replied.

"_Did you find her?_" she asked.

"_Do you see her in here with me?_" I asked sarcastically.

"_Well, no._"

"_It's strange, I really thought I saw her go in here._" I said.

"_Well maybe she left, and you didn't see her. Besides, I got a couple ideas on how you can ask Evie out._" Lonnie said.

"_Oh? What's that?_"

"_One, we know that Evie has her own solo during the concert, but after her solo, her performance will be done. Audrey will not only be the opening act, but the closing act as well._"

"_Yeah, I know that._"

"_Well, during Audrey's last performance, there will be couples dancing, that's when you should ask Evie to dance with you. And slowly work your way to letting her know that you love her and then ask her out._" Lonnie explained.

"_Okay..What's the other idea?_" I asked.

"_On your way back to your dorm room, take Evie to a private area and tell her how you really feel about her._"

"_So basically just pour my heart out to her?_" I asked.

"_Yeah. Tell her that you have feelings for her and that you love her more than a best friend._" Lonnie said.

"_And what if she doesn't have the feelings? What if she's not in love with me like I'm in love with her?_" I asked.

"_Like I don't now?_" said a voice.

Lonnie and I turned around and saw Evie standing in front of the closed door. Strange, because neither Lonnie or I even heard the door open. I panicked a little.

"_E-Evie. H-hey. I didn't even hear you come in._" I said.

It was hard for me to speak since I knew that Evie probably heard everything.

"_Clearly._" she said, not sounding happy.

"_How long have you been there?_" Lonnie asked.

"_Long enough._" Evie replied.

"_Where did you come from?_" I asked.

"_I was in the closet getting some things for rehearsal when I heard you two talking._" Evie replied.

"_Oh...so you know._" I said.

"_Yeah. Mal, I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you. You're my best friend. Nothing more._" she said.

I was a little surprised.

"_You sure about that?_" I asked.

"_Yeah. Have I ever hinted that I like you more than a friend? Because I don't._"

"_Evie-_"

"_I'm sorry, Mal. But I don't feel for you the same way you feel for me. Besides, I couldn't date a girl. I would never change my sexuality, not even for you._"

I looked down, starting to feel sadness inside.

"_Evie, give Mal a chance. It's not like you two are complete strangers. You've both known each other for a long time. Please, give her a chance. One date. That's all she asks_." said Lonnie.

"_You don't understand, Lonnie. I can't. It's not who I am. I'm sorry, Mal. But I could never date you._" Evie said.

Holding back my tears, I nodded.

"_I understand, Evie. You want a prince, not a princess._" I said.

"_You're not even a princess._" said Evie.

"_You think I don't know that?_" I asked.

Evie sighed.

"_Mal, please. Try to understand. It isn't right. We can always be friends though._" she said.

"_Just friends._" I said.

"_Yes._"

I couldn't handle it anymore. I was about ready to cry. I quickly left the room and ran as fast as I could. Lonnie called my name, but I kept running. I stopped at a garden and sobbed. But it didn't last long. I realized that one thing I have overlooked: Evie never did show any signs that she feels the same way about me as I feel for her. I guess I should've seen it coming. But my love for her was very strong. And I never prepared myself for in case Evie rejected me. I took a long walk, trying to get myself together. A few hours later I returned back to our dorm. Evie was sitting on her bed with her laptop open. I didn't know if she was doing homework or checking on the status of her business.

Either way I didn't care. We didn't say anything to each other at all for the rest of the day. We ate dinner at separate times and kept our distance. We didn't even say goodnight to each other either. The next morning was one of the worst mornings I've had. We woke up, but didn't say anything to each other. I wanted to, but I knew it was best if I didn't. Evie was mad at me. The rest of the day didn't really go so well. I heard that Evie's day wasn't the best either. After school, I got to our dorm room before Evie did. She got back an hour later. When she did, I thought I should ask her one more time.

"_Evie?_"

"_Not now, Mal. I need to get to the final rehearsal before the concert tonight._"

"_But, Evie wait. Can you just give me two minutes?_" I asked.

Evie stopped and crossed her arms, looking at me.

"_Are you sure you feel the way you do?_" I asked.

"_Yes. Mal, I've already told you, I can't date you._" she said.

"_Why? Are you dating someone else?_"

I could tell Evie was getting quite annoyed by me based on her body language.

"_No, Mal! But how many times do I have to tell you? I can't date you because I don't want to! Now are we done?_"

I stepped back, indicating to Evie that I was. I watched Evie grab a dress. She folded it and put it in her bag. She then walked over to the door.

"_I love you, Evie._" I said.

Evie stopped and looked down.

"_You're delirious, Mal._" Evie said.

She was about to open the door before she stopped to say one last thing.

"_And don't even think about coming to the show tonight. The last thing I need is to see you. It will ruin my performance._"

After that, she left. I laid in my bed and cried heavily. I know, Evie is quite harsh right now, but, believe it or not, she had her reasons. Good intentions really. I didn't know this until later on, but during the final rehearsal before the show, when Evie was backstage going over her song, Lonnie walked up to her. She didn't know what happened between me and Evie, but she knew that what was bothering Evie included me.

"_You know, you could've told Mal how you felt quite lighter._" Lonnie said.

"_Still going on about this? This isn't your concern._" Evie said.

"_She's my friend too. Plus I'm already involved in this anyway._"

"_Mal was planning to tell me her true feelings, right? So I told her my true feelings. There's not much difference in that._"

"_Yeah, but don't you think you were a little too mean about how you told her?_"

"_No, I don't. I told her exactly how I felt. You say that like I'm a bad person for admitting my true feelings. Or was it because you and Mal didn't hear what you wanted to hear?_"

Lonnie was surprised to see Evie act this way. She didn't know what to say.

"_Plus, what if I did give Mal a chance? And we discover that the relationship wasn't going to work out? We'll most likely end up hating each other...And I don't want to lose her._"

The way Evie said that last sentence made Lonnie notice something.

"_Oh my god. You do have feelings for Mal, don't you?_" she asked.

Evie sighed and hesitated to respond.

"_Don't you?_" Lonnie asked again.

"_Don't be so foolish. I could never have feelings for Mal._" Evie said, but with a nervous tone.

"_Come on, Evie. Talk to me. It's okay to admit your feelings._" she said.

Evie took a deep breath before talking.

"_Okay, yeah, I do. I do have feelings for Mal. They might not be as strong as Mal's are for me, but they are there._" she said.

"_Then tell her._"

"_I don't want to risk losing Mal! What if it doesn't work out?!_"

"_Why wouldn't it? Like I said, you and Mal have known each other for a long time. Please, give her a chance._"

Evie looked out the window and saw it was raining lightly outside.

"_Mal is probably out there somewhere crying. She deserves to know._" said Lonnie.

"_Mal is at our room. I told her to stay there and not come to the concert._" Evie said.

"_What? Why?_"

"_It would be too much for me. I wouldn't be able to stand seeing her._"

"_Because you're trying to protect her. I get that. But I can see you two being a great couple. You two are great together. You both are wonderful when you sing together. Imagine doing all those fun things together, but knowing there is so much more you two can do together._" said Lonnie.

"_Like what? Have sex?_" Evie asked.

"_Mal finds you to be very attractive. Don't you find her attractive too?_"

Evie softly smiled.

"_I do. There's a lot I love about her. You know, she saved my life once. That's how we became friends._" Evie said.

"_She did?_"

"_It was a long time ago. When we were still on the Isle. She save me from being put to sleep for thousands of years. Ever since then, we overcame our differences and became friends. Which led to being best friends, even sisters at times._"

"_And now lovers._"

"_It feels wrong. Very wrong. But yet...it feels right at the same time._"

"_That's because Mal is the one for you. She's your true love._" Lonnie said.

"_True love._" Evie repeated.

Evie looked out the window a second time.

"_What have I done? I broke her heart. Hurt her feelings, terribly. I need to go back to her and tell her._"

"_Go, Evie._"

"_Thanks, Lonnie._"

Evie hugged Lonnie then left the room. Evie raced back to our dorm only to find me not there. That was because I had left. I was outside, sitting under a tree, while it's still raining. I know, don't ever be under a tree during a storm. Well, at the time, I didn't really care at all. I wasn't crying, but I did have tears in my eyes and I was thinking about all that has happened in the last twenty four hours. I looked in the distance and saw the ocean. A part of me wanted to run away. It sounded good. Steal a boat, and sail away. Cause who would miss me, right? But I didn't move at all. I stayed under the tree.

Meanwhile, Evie was desperately trying to find me around the school. Hoping that she would find me in time before I would do anything drastic to myself. It started to rain even harder, as the strongest point in the storm was getting closer. Evie called out my name. When she did, I faintly heard her and decided to stay where I was at. However I tried to hide myself behind the tree, hoping she wouldn't see me. But I didn't know what direction she was coming from. Evie saw me anyway. She ran to me.

"_Mal, thank goodness I found you. Come on, let's get out of this rain._" she said.

"_I'm not going anywhere._" I said.

"_Mal, please-_"

"_I'm staying right here!_" I yelled.

"_Okay. We'll talk here then. But you know it isn't safe to be under a tree during a storm, right?_"

I scoffed.

"_So what? You care about my safety now? Besides, don't you have a show to perform in? I thought you didn't want to see me._" I said.

"_I want to talk to you._" Evie said.

"_Well, I don't want to talk to you._"

Evie sat next to me.

"_Mal, please. Just listen to me._"

I sighed angrily.

"_Fine._" I said.

"_First off, I want to say, I'm really, really sorry for hurting your feelings._"

"_Yeah right._"

"_Mal, the only reason I said I couldn't date you was because I was trying to protect us._"

"_Protect us?_"

"_Preserve, or keep our friendship. However you want to look at it. The point is...I have feelings for you as well._" Evie said.

"_Are you just saying that?_" I asked.

"_No. I mean it, Mal. I do have feelings for you as well._"

I stared at Evie. I have a way of telling of someone is lying or not. And I was surprised to see that Evie was speaking the truth. I started to calm down.

"_What do you mean by 'keep our friendship'?_"

"_I was afraid that if we were to start a relationship, it wouldn't work out. And after couples split, they don't always talk to each other anymore. And since we share a dorm, that would be very awkward and miserable. I don't want to lose you, Mal. That is my biggest fear. Losing you._"

I was starting to understand now. That's why she was rejecting me. So she can keep me.

"_You mean that?_" I asked.

"_With all my heart. But I'm truly sorry that I broke your heart and deeply hurt your feelings. When I heard you cry as I left the room earlier, it hurt me so much. Lonnie noticed that was bothering me and she convinced me to tell you how I feel._"

"_So does that mean...?_"

"_Yes, Mal. I would love to go out with you._"

The strongest point of the storm was directly over the school and us. It was raining very hard, but we didn't care. It was then Evie put her arms around me and pulled me into a long, passionate kiss. That was our first kiss.

"_You do love me._" I said.

"_Well, you said it first._" Evie said.

We smiled at each other then kissed many more times.

So that's how we really fell in love. I don't know if I had feelings for Evie first, or if Evie had feelings for me first. But nevertheless, it was meant to be. What about the concert you may wonder? Well, Evie basically blew it off to be with me. Cause we kissed in the rain for a long time. Audrey was surprised to hear that Evie and I fell in love at first, but she was able to put on a show where only she was the star, so she was happy about it.

Lonnie was thrilled when she learned that Evie and I finally got together. The rest of our Auradon friends were happy for us too. Jay admitted he saw it coming, but Carlos was shocked. But they were happy for us as well. Evie and I ended up getting the common cold which lasted a few days from being out in the rain for a long period of time. But, it was so worth it.


	8. Friends Day Out

_Friends Day Out_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 8:28 am_]

Mal's POV

After reminiscing about our first day together, I resumed thinking about what Evie and I should do today. I paced around the room again, and wandered over to a table that had Evie's sewing machine. I noticed a notepad sitting off to the side. Written on it was a list.

"Looks like she needs more material." I said.

That gave me the idea of what we should do. We'll go to Auradon city. Perfect. I got myself freshened up and dressed, then left the room to get breakfast. As I was walking to the cafeteria, my mind all of a sudden, started thinking about my dream. Great, that's just what I need to think about right now. I can't do anything for a while. All I can do is just fantasize about it. I arrived at the cafeteria and grabbed two plates. On them, I put some scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and toast. But as I was doing that, I noticed a poster on the wall saying something about final exams.

That gave me an idea. Not about tests, but summer break. It will start in a few weeks, and Evie and I haven't done any planning on what we should do. We can go to the mountain. And the forests surrounding it. And I'll be able to see how much Evie would like that. And if she does, then she would be alright living where I dreamt us living in. However, as my mind was still on my dream, I stepped back and accidentally bumped into someone. I snapped out of my thought and turned around, only to see Audrey glaring at me. I seen that I also accidentally spilled orange juice onto her.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry Audrey." I said.

"Save it, Mal! You did this on purpose!" she said.

"No, I didn't! Honest! I was deeply thinking about something and wasn't paying attention. I'm really sorry." I said.

Audrey scoffed.

"Well, you're lucky this isn't the dress I was planning to wear today. What are you doing here anyway? Doesn't Evie usually get your breakfast?"

"I thought I would surprise her." I said.

"Why? Is there some kind of anniversary?"

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

"I just thought I'd be nice."

Audrey laughed.

"Yeah, okay, Mal. Whatever you say. But 'nice' isn't in your vocabulary."

"It is too! I thought I've been doing really good lately."

Audrey rolled her eyes. It hurts me to know that she may never accept me. All because of my mother, of course. Then Audrey said something that really got me.

"You know, I'm really amazed that Evie has been with you this long."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Oh don't take it that way. I'm just saying that I'm amazed that Evie has been with you this long. How long, about a year?"

"Yeah, but Evie loves me very much. So of course it's been almost a year. Soon, it will be a whole year. Then two years. Three years and eventually ten years. Evie and I will be together for the rest of our lives." I said firmly.

I grabbed the plates and began walking to the exit.

"But one day, Mal. One day, your relationship with Evie will end." Audrey said.

I stopped and turned around.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"You heard me." she said.

"I did. But what do you mean? Are you planning to do something to us?" I asked.

"No, not at all. But I'm sure that one day, Evie will grow tired of you and will want to part from you. Besides, she deserves better anyway." she said.

I glared at her then left. When I got back to the dorm, I saw Evie in the bathroom, dressed and brushing her hair.

"Oh there you are. Morning, baby." she said.

"Morning." I said as I put the plates down on the table.

"Oh, you got us food. Thanks, Mal. You're so sweet."

What Audrey said bothered me a little. But I shook it off. She doesn't know how Evie and I really are. Evie truly loves and appreciates me. She loves me for who I am. And I can't see her ever getting tired of me.

"I thought I'd surprise you with a breakfast in bed sort of thing." I said.

Evie smiled.

"You're so sweet, Mal."

She got back into her bed.

"We can still have breakfast in bed. Bring it over." she said.

I grabbed the plates as well as some utensils, and sat next to her on the bed. After we ate our food, we held each other closely.

"That was really good. And nice of you, Mal. We should definitely do this more often." Evie said.

"Yeah. I know what we should do today." I said.

"Oh? What's that?"

"Let's go to the city."

"The city?"

"Yeah. We'll look around. Besides, you need more sewing material anyway, right?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm planning to make both of us a really nice nightdress." she said.

"What's wrong with what we wear, and well, don't wear, to bed?" I asked.

For the last few nights, Evie and I have been sleeping shirtless.

"Nothing, but, I thought we should change it up. Add a little more sexiness to it." Evie replied with a wink.

I smiled.

"Whatever you want to do, Evie." I said.

We kissed and left the room. As we got to the main lobby, we saw Jay and Carlos.

"Hey, guys!" I said.

"Hey, Mal. Hey, Evie." said Jay.

"Hi." said Carlos.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Oh, we're just chillin'. Trying to think of what to do today." said Jay.

"Yeah." said Carlos.

"Don't you guys normally play video games?" I asked.

"Yeah, but we kind of wanted to do something different today." Jay replied.

"Where are you two going?" asked Carlos.

"Oh, Evie and I are going to Auradon city." I replied.

"Ooh, can we come with you?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, can we?" Jay asked.

"Sure!" I said.

I should've asked Evie what she thought first, cause she didn't like the sound of Jay and Carlos coming along. I looked at Evie, who had a distraught expression.

"What?" I asked.

"This is our day to spend together." she said.

Yeah, I definitely felt bad now.

"Oh, well if you two are having a date there, then we won't interfere." said Jay.

"No. No, I wasn't even thinking about having a date today. Neither was Evie. Were you, Evie?" I asked.

"No, but I wasn't planning on having anyone join us." she said.

"Neither was I. But we should have them come with us. It's been a while since the four of us did something together. We are our own family after all." I said.

Evie sighed, but she agreed with me.

"Alright. I mean, we did have two nice dates in the last two days, so I guess having them with us today will be alright." Evie said.

"That's my girl." I said.

I kissed Evie on the cheek and held her hand. I looked at the guys.

"Alright, shall we go?" I asked.

"Certainly." Jay replied.

As we were about to start walking, we heard a voice call to us.

"Hey, guys!"

It was Lonnie.

"Hi, Lonnie." we all said.

"Whatcha up to?" she asked.

"We're going to Auradon City." said Carlos.

"Oh nice! Can I come with you?" Lonnie asked.

"Sure. If that's alright with you, Evie." I said.

"Of course!" said Evie.

"Great. Anyone else want to join us?" I asked aloud, even though us five were the only ones around.

We all laughed and left the building.

[_Auradon City. 9:43 am_]

Mal's POV

After a good amount of walking, we arrived at the city. It was a little busy, but not much. We stopped outside of the fabric store.

"Do you want to get what you need?" I asked Evie.

"No, not now. I'll get them when we start heading back." Evie said.

"Okay."

We continued walking down the street and all agreed to shop when we're about to head back to the dorms. We walked around for quite a while until we got to the end of the street. I saw a dirt road and started walking down it.

"Mal, where are you going?" Evie asked.

"I just want to explore." I replied.

The others happily followed. Evie sighed and followed anyway. We reached the end of the dirt road and saw a junkyard. But this junkyard was unlike an ordinary one. Everything was organized.

"Wow." I said.

I wanted to check it out. I approached the entrance. There was a chain linked fence surrounding it. I grabbed the fence.

"Mal, you better not be doing what I think you are." Evie said.

I scoffed.

"Oh come on, Evie. Where's your sense of adventure?" I asked.

"Trespassing is not my idea of adventuring." she said.

I looked around and didn't see any sign that states "No Trespassing". So I guess it's a green light for me. I climbed up and over the fence. Jay and Carlos followed, along with Lonnie. Evie didn't move. I looked at her through the fence.

"Climb, Evie." I said.

"What? Are you serious? You think I would like to be in a place like this?" Evie asked.

I smiled at her.

"You should, this place is amazing!" I said.

Evie sighed, but climbed over the fence. I kissed her afterwards.

"I love you." I said.

She tried her best to resist me, but she couldn't. Not surprised. We walked around and were very impressed on how well the place was organized.

"Who do you think runs this place?" asked Carlos.

"I have no clue, but this place is amazing." said Lonnie.

I looked at Evie. She seemed to be tense. I rubbed her back to try to calm her down.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just...I don't think we're allowed here." she said.

"There was no sign stating that no one is allowed here." I said.

"Yeah, but still.."

"Evie, relax. If anything happens, I will take all the blame. It was my idea anyway. So relax and let yourself have some fun."

"This isn't really my idea of fun."

I laughed a little.

"The roles are switched now." I said.

"What?" Evie asked.

"Before it was you trying to get me to relax. Now I'm trying to get you to relax." I replied.

Evie smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so. Okay, Mal. I'll let it go." she said.

We kissed and saw Jay and Carlos each pick up a metal pole and started to have a sword fight with them.

"Guys, be careful." Evie said.

I looked at Evie.

"Just don't want them to get hurt." Evie said, blushing a little.

I smiled and laughed.

"I'm glad you are the way you are, Evie." I said.

Evie smiled. Jay and Carlos were really making a lot of noise with the metal poles.

"You guys might want to keep it down." said Lonnie.

"Yeah since we don't need to alert anyone here of our presence." said Evie.

"Hey! What are you kids doing here?!" a voiced yelled.

So much for that. We all turned and saw an old man running towards us.

"Great. Now who is this old geezer?" I said.

Evie lightly hit me in the arm.

"Mal, that's not nice." she said.

"You think so? Well explain that guy running towards us with a pipe wrench in his hand." said Lonnie.

The old man was getting closer and closer. Jay and Carlos quickly threw the metal pipes aside.

"This normally doesn't happen here. We're still in Auradon, right?" asked Lonnie.

"Yeah, but how did this guy get here?" asked Carlos.

"No matter. We have to leave." said Evie.

The old man was no farther than twenty feet away from us.

"Damn it! Let's split up and run! Make your way to the exit! He can't chase all of us at once!" I said.

We all ran in different directions. Even though we were getting chased by a crazy old man armed with a pipe wrench, this was very exciting to me. Unfortunately, more exciting to me than everyone else. We all made our way to the exit. We climbed over the fence and ran away from the yard as quickly as we could. We slowed down once we were close to the city. We sat down and rested.

"Nice going, Mal. Let's hope he didn't recognize us." said Evie.

"He didn't. He never said our names. Besides, I should be more worried than all of you since I am the most distinguishable." I said.

"Really?" Evie asked.

"Let's not worry about that. Mal is right. He never said our names or even said "Hey I know you!" so therefore he must not know us. But, let's not do that again." said Lonnie.

"Agreed. I'm so tired now." said Carlos.

"Alright. But didn't you guys enjoy that? The excitement! The thrill! Oh, it makes me feel so happy!" I said cheerfully.

"Well, that's our Mal." said Lonnie.

"Indeed." said Evie.

After resting for a little longer we walked back to the city. When we got there, we checked out all the stores and seen lots of nice things. Us VKs felt a little spoiled. We didn't really have nice things like this on the Isle. Carlos and Jay bought themselves a couple of video games. Lonnie bought a hip hop cd, and I didn't buy anything. I didn't see anything I needed. We stopped at the fabrics store last. Lonnie, Jay, and Carlos stayed outside while Evie and I went inside. As Evie was getting the things on her list, I looked around. I was impressed by the options you get for sewing. Not just sewing, but I saw stuff you can use for knitting, crocheting, and crafting. It's amazing, but too complicated for me. Evie then walked over to me.

"You should try it sometime. It's really quite fun." she said.

I laughed a little.

"No, thanks, Evie. It's too complicated for me." I said.

"You've never even tried. I'll show you sometime. You'll see." she said.

I wasn't going to argue with her. Besides, it would be good for us to do something like that together anyway. You know, have a hobby together. Evie paid for her stuff and signaled me over to the exit. We both left and later the five of us arrived back at the dorms.

"Well, even though we got chased, I still had fun. You're right, Mal. It was exciting." said Lonnie.

"Thanks, Lonnie." I said.

"Thanks for letting me come along. I've been wanting to get this cd for quite a while."

"Yeah, sure thing."

"Alright, see ya!" Lonnie said as she began to walk away.

"Bye, Lonnie." We all said.

"What a great day so far. What are you two going to do for the rest of the day?" I asked Jay and Carlos.

"We're going to play our new games." said Carlos.

"Yeah. I can't wait to kick his butt." said Jay.

"Alright, you have fun with that." I said.

"Oh I will." said Jay.

"Hey!" said Carlos.

"Later." I said.

"Later." said Jay.

I grabbed Evie's hand and we walked back to our dorm room.


	9. Detention

_Detention_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 7:00 am_]

Mal's POV

Monday. Great. Now another whole week of school work has started. Well, at least I get to wake up to Evie being the first thing I see. We've been sleeping topless for the last few days, but I want to see her whole body as much as I want to show her mine. However, she's not ready yet. That's okay. I won't push her. I played with her blue hair as she started to wake up. She opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Morning." I said.

"Morning." she said.

We kissed and she sat up, rubbing her forehead.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Got a bit of a headache." she replied.

I kissed her forehead.

"Glad to see you're doing well." she said.

"I am. I think the last few days have really helped me."

"Good. I'm glad."

After waking up some more, Evie got out of bed.

"Alright. I'm going to take a shower." she said.

"Oh, okay. May I join you?" I asked.

Evie laughed nervously.

"Not there yet?" I asked.

"Not there yet." she replied.

"That's okay. Just thought I ask." I said.

Evie smiled and leaned over the bed to kiss me.

"Nothing wrong with that. But someday soon, I promise." she said.

"Okay." I said.

Evie walked into the bathroom, blew me a kiss, and closed the door. Over an hour later we were both ready for the day and walked to the school.

[_Auradon Prep. 8:48 am_]

Mal's POV

We arrived at our lockers and got our books and stuff for class. Then Chad walked over to Evie.

"Well, well. If it ain't my favorite blue haired girl. What's up, girl?" he said.

Evie closed her locker and looked in the opposite direction, trying to ignore him.

"Come on. Tell me, what can I do for you to get you to be my girl?" he asked.

"For one, stop trying to hit on me." Evie said.

Chad laughed.

"You misunderstood, I said what can I do to get you-"

"I heard! And _you _misunderstood _me_! Stop!" Evie said.

He was starting to make her mad, as well as me.

"You heard her. Now back off!" I said.

"Oh, come on! Evie! Beautiful Evie! You are much better than this! You are much better than her! Don't allow yourself to be brought down to such a low level anymore. Be with me, and I can give you a happy forever after." said Chad.

"Nothing lasts forever, Chad." I said.

"Stay out of this, Mal! Evie, please. Dump her and be with me."

"I'm sorry. But I'm happy with who I'm with." said Evie.

"Fine. But you know, being with someone of your own kind will not grant you what you want." said Chad.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Evie asked.

"You! Dating someone of your own gender, that won't get you into a castle. You won't live the life you wanted to live when you first came here."

"I don't care about that anymore."

"That's right! Besides, Evie and I will live in our own castle and we will live the rest of our lives happily together." I said.

"You have diminished her." said Chad.

"Evie is happy with me. And you know, I really don't give a damn what you think about me and Evie. So go away! Now!" I yelled.

"Fine! But Evie, you just ruined your chance of being with a handsome prince." yelled Chad.

"And if you ever be rude to her or hit on her again, I will ruin _you_." I said.

"Yeah, whatever."

That does it. Those two words is all the motivation I need. Right when Chad turned around, I got in front of him and punched him right in the face. Evie gasped in shock. He was stronger than I thought though. He was still able to stand, but after a second punch, he fell to the ground.

"Come on, get up! Let me show you a little something I learned on the Isle!" I said.

Chad touched his face and saw blood on his fingers. He looked at me.

"You bitch." he said.

I smiled.

"Aww, that's so nice. I haven't been called that in a long time." I said.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. Then I slapped him, punched him in the stomach, then punched him in the face a final time.

"Come on, get up! You have to be tougher than that!" I said.

I was about to grab him again, when I got grabbed myself. I looked behind me and saw a teacher restraining me.

"Let me go!" I yelled.

"Mal, stop! Calm down!" Evie said.

"No, let me go! One more punch, please!" I said.

Hurting Chad released a lot of held anger and sadness from me. I felt like I was being cleansed and I hadn't felt so good since Evie and I first slept together. Ben walked over to me as I was still struggling to break free.

"Stop, Mal! Behave yourself!" he said.

Evie walked over to me and kissed me.

"Stop." she whispered.

I don't know what that was, but something about that kiss made me stop doing what I was doing. I felt like I was in a trance. I felt very calm and relaxed. Did Evie just put a spell on me? The teacher and Ben took me to his office. I tried to leave, but the exit was blocked. I had no choice but to sit in a chair and face Ben.

"Okay, Mal." Ben said, then sighed.

He was lost for words. Nothing like what just happened ever happened in Auradon. Not in a long time anyway. He had his face buried in his hands, struggling to speak.

"It's okay. Just tell me what's on your mind." I said.

"The thing is...I don't even know what to say. Except why?" he asked.

"Why?"

"Why did you do that?"

"He deserved it." I said.

"He deserved it?"

"He was being mean to Evie. And he provoked me. Therefore, I did what I felt was necessary." I said.

"You think beating him up was necessary? Okay, Mal, violence is not allowed here. You know that."

"He was being mean to her. I stood up to him and protected the person I love the most. I have no regrets or guilt for doing what I did. I did it because I love Evie, and I will fight anyone who dares to disrespect her."

I didn't know this until a little later, but Evie was standing right outside the door, and was hearing everything.

"I admire your love and devotion to Evie, Mal. I really do. You and Evie have true love for one another, but I'm afraid it won't help you in this situation. You are to go to on campus suspension for the rest of today and tomorrow." said Ben.

"That's it?" I asked.

"Don't think we're letting you off easy. We'll be keeping tabs on you, plus I'll be setting up meetings for you to see Fairy Godmother for counseling."

"Fine." I said.

Ben put a piece of paper in front of me.

"Sign this to say you will comply with the consequences."

I knew there was no way of getting out of this without getting into more trouble. I sighed and signed the paper. After that, I was taken to the detention room. I was given my classwork for the day and was told to work on it. I didn't complete much. For I was thinking about Evie. And Evie was thinking about me.

Evie's POV

I couldn't believe what had happened. I was still trying to wrap my mind around it.

"_I have no regrets or guilt for doing what I did. I did it because I love Evie, and I will fight anyone who dares to disrespect her."_

That replayed in my mind a few times. Mal is a true prince. Not in body, but definitely in spirit. Lunch time later came. I grabbed my lunch and sat at a table. After several minutes of waiting for Mal, I never seen her walk in the cafeteria. So I figured that she wasn't allowed to leave the detention room. So I came up with an idea. I quickly ate my food, grabbed some food for Mal, put it in a plastic bag and walked out of the cafeteria. However, I didn't know where the detention room was. Luckily I saw Jane in the hallway.

"Hey, Jane." I said.

"Oh, hi, Evie!" she said.

"Hey, I can't talk right now, but where is the detention room?" I asked.

"The detention room? Why do you need to go there? You're a good person, Evie." said Jane.

"I know, I'm fabulous. But please tell me. It's important." I said.

Jane told me where to go and I quickly ran to the room. I had to be fast for lunch would be over soon. I looked at the clock and saw that I had about twenty minutes left. I arrived at the room and was about to open the door when I saw the handle move. I hid behind a corner and saw a teacher walk out of the room.

"Careful, Evie. You almost got caught." I whispered.

As the teacher kept walking away, I ran over to the door and opened it, hoping Mal was by herself, but I was wrong. As I entered the room, Mal and another teacher looked at me. It was too late to turn back.

"Who are you?" the teacher asked.

I had to come up with something.

"I..am a teacher's assistant. Yeah. I have been sent here to cover for you while you take your lunch break." I said.

"Oh good! I was afraid I would have to call the office, then wait for them to find someone who could cover me." said the teacher.

The teacher happily walked out the door.

"I'll be back in half an hour."

I sighed heavily and laughed as I could not believe that had work. Mal couldn't believe that either.

"Evie?"

"Hi, baby."

"Wha-what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you."

I walked over to her and sat in the desk next to her. I opened my bag and pulled out the food I grabbed for her.

"Here." I said as I handed it to her.

"Oh, thanks."

A small sandwich, an orange and a cup of vanilla pudding was what I got her. I smiled as I watched Mal eat. After she finished, I threw her trash away for her.

"Did you enjoy that?" I asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Evie." she said.

"You're welcome."

Mal then looked down at her desk.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm really sorry, Evie. I acted so rebellious and immature. I know I embarrassed you to no end and I'm-"

I put my finger over Mal's lips and shushed her.

"No, Mal. You did not embarrass me. Instead, you defended me. I appreciate that. And I'm really, really proud of you." I said.

"You are?" Mal asked.

I moved the desk near Mal close to her as possible and sat down and hugged her.

"I am, baby. I don't think any less of you. In fact, I think of you as my hero. Defending me like that? It's because you love me, and you would fight anyone who dares to disrespect me." I said.

"How did you know I said that?"

I winked at her.

"True love or I listened in. I'm going to go with both."

"Evie..."

That's all Mal could say before she started crying. I couldn't tell if they were tears of joy or sadness, but nevertheless, I held her close to me and rubbed her back. After a few minutes, she was able to calm down. I kissed her, and from that moment on, it sparked something in between us. We started kissing like there was no tomorrow. Mal got on top of the combined desks and I got on top of her. We took off our jackets and continued kissing. I don't know how long we were making out, but I didn't care. We were both enjoying ourselves and it had been a few days since we were really amorous with each others feelings. After a final kiss, we both breathed heavily. I looked at Mal's green eyes as Mal looked at my brown eyes.

"Mal. I think we should take our relationship to the next level."

"Here?"

I smiled and slid my hands under Mal's shirt and caressed her belly. I was about to go further up in her shirt when the door opened. Mal and I looked in that direction and saw the teacher looking at us.

"Oh damn! I exclaimed.


	10. Mal's Second Dream

_Mal's Second Dream_

[_Auradon Prep. 1:10 pm_]

Evie's POV

The teacher walked in on us. And saw me with my hands up in Mal's shirt. I looked down and saw Mal's hands on my inner thighs which did not help our situation. The teacher was horrified and told us to get off the desks, put our jackets back on, and follow him to Ben's office. When we got there, Ben was most surprised to see me.

"Evie? Mal. What's going on?" he asked.

"This blue haired girl tricked me into believing that she was a teacher assistant and said that she was there to cover for me while I take a lunch break." said the teacher.

"What?" Ben asked.

"And when I found out that she wasn't really an assistant, I ran back to the room and found these two love birds making out on the desks."

I noticed Mal laughing quietly to herself and nudged her to stop.

"Alright. You can leave these two here and I'll send them back shortly." Ben said.

The teacher left.

"Finally. I don't really like that guy." Mal said.

Ben sighed.

"Okay. Evie, let's start with you. Why did you do that? Honestly, I expect Mal to do something like that, but not you."

"You do?" Mal asked.

"Don't get any ideas." I said.

"Evie, why?" Ben asked.

"Mal and I always spend lunch together and the first time we don't, I really missed her. I wanted to see her and I basically acted impetuous. I feel ashamed and I'm really sorry." I said.

I saw Ben starting to look at Mal, and I knew what he was thinking.

"Please, don't punish Mal anymore. This whole thing was all my fault. I lied, and I made the first move on Mal. It's not her fault. It's mine." I said.

"Well you were both at fault. Mal, you should've told Evie to leave." Ben said.

"I wouldn't have listened. She could've told me a dozen times to leave. I wouldn't have. It's all my fault. I'm one hundred percent responsible for this." I said.

"I appreciate you taking responsibility for your actions, Evie. But there still have to be consequences for both of your actions."

"I understand. Just don't punish Mal anymore than me. Please." I said.

Ben sighed.

"Okay. I'll tell you what. This week Audrey, Jane, Lonnie and myself will begin making preparations for a carnival."

"A carnival?" I asked.

"Yes. A carnival that will have food, games, and music." Ben explained.

"And what does that have to do with us?" Mal asked.

"Instead of being there and having fun, you two will help us run the event."

Mal scoffed.

"Sounds boring." she said.

"Mal, don't be like that. This is great." I said.

"How is this great?" Mal asked.

"It will give us a chance to do something good. To show we're good." I said.

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing, Mal. Don't you want to do something that'll make you feel good about yourself?"

"I was. Until that teacher had to walk in on us."

I sighed. Sometimes it's hard to deal with Mal. But a part of me enjoys it.

"Please, baby. Let's do it. It will give us the chance to redeem ourselves."

"Yes. Think of it that way." said Ben.

Mal let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine. But only if we do it together." she said.

"Is that alright?" I asked Ben.

"As long as you two keep yourselves under control and don't do what you were caught doing in public again, I'm alright with it." said Ben.

"We will. We promise." I said.

"Alright. You two may return back to the detention room. Evie, you will stay there for the rest of the day and tomorrow, just like Mal. But you two will sit across the room from each other."

"Yes, sir." I said.

We were sent to the detention room and I sat in the far left side of the room while Mal sat in the far right side. Throughout the day, we were given our assignments to work on. Every once in awhile Mal tried to have fun with me by throwing balls of paper and various little things like parts of an eraser and paper clips at me.

"_What?_" I mouthed to her.

"_Hi!_" she mouthed back.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance, but couldn't help but smile afterwards. Mal was herself again. I smiled and waved at her. She smiled and waved back.

"Hey! No talking!" said the teacher.

"Did you hear us say anything?" Mal asked sarcastically.

"You better watch your mouth, young lady."

"How can I watch my mouth if I can't even _see it_?"

"Mal, enough. Behave for the rest of the day, and there will be a reward for you." I said.

"Fine." Mal said.

She grabbed her pencil and resumed on her worksheet.

"Looks like you have dominance over her." the teacher said.

"Oh, she has dominance over me in more ways than one." Mal said.

"Mal!" I exclaimed.

I can't believe she said that. But, it's kinda true. After that, the rest of the day went well. Mal was very well behaved and I got her a reward as I said. Afterwards, we headed back to our dorm room.

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 4:25 pm_]

Mal's POV

We started our homework. Afterwards we had some snacks.

"Great day today, wasn't it?" I asked.

"Was it?" Evie asked.

"After the morning, yeah." I said.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. And thanks again for doing what you did." Evie said.

"Of course. I would do it again if I have to." I said.

Evie smiled and hugged me.

"You are a troublemaker, sometimes immature, childish, definitely irritable, but you're also very sweet and loving." she said.

"Most of the time." I said.

"But nevertheless, you are mine. And always will be." she said.

I noticed Evie has been saying a lot of things like that to me recently. I guess it's because I have been unconfident with myself. It's nice of her to say those things to me, because no one else will. And what's even nicer is that she really does mean what she says. We later finished our homework. After that, I laid in my bed reading a book and Evie was at her desk looking at a page in her sketchbook.

"So you're making us nightdresses?" I asked.

"I sure am." Evie replied.

"What are they going to look like?" I asked.

"They are going to look fabulous." Evie replied.

Not really the answer I was looking for. I walked over to her, but she quickly closed her sketchbook before I could see.

"No, Mal. You'll have to wait and see. Now, shoo. I got work to do." she said, playfully.

I groaned and laid back in my bed. I resumed reading my book when Evie walked over to me hiding something behind her back.

"What are you hiding?" I asked.

"Close your eyes." she said.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it, Mal."

I rolled my eyes then closed them. I felt something placed on my chest.

"Okay, open them." Evie said.

I opened my eyes and saw a book.

"What's this?" I asked.

"A sketchbook. For you. You know, to draw in." Evie replied.

"You got this for me?" I asked.

"Of course! Remember earlier when I said if you behave, there would be a reward for you? Well, this is your reward." she said.

"Thanks, Evie."

"You're welcome, baby. That should keep you busy while I work."

"Yeah, it will." I said.

"Draw something for me."

"Okay."

I ended up drawing a flower for Evie. Not what I normally draw, but it's for her. She loved it and hung it above her workspace. The rest of the day was relaxing. We had a nice dinner and did our nightly routine and went to bed. We made out a little, then fell asleep. That night I had another amazing dream. And it's related to the dream about the luxurious home.

It took place in the same home as the first dream. I walked into this big laundry room. It was nice. On one wall there was cabinets with countertops. On another wall there was countertops with the washer and dryer underneath. And on the third wall, there was some more cabinets but not as much as the first wall, except there was a sink in the middle of the cabinets. So much storage space. Well I guess if you have someone like Evie, you're going to need it. But anyway, as I walked in, I saw Evie. And may I say, wow she looked so hot. She had on a blue dress, a different one though, but as far as I could tell, that was it. She was barefoot, but also had the silver tiara on as well.

"_Hi, baby. Welcome home._" Evie said.

Welcome home? Where have I been?

"_Hi, Evie. You look nice._" I said.

"_Thanks, but look at you. Looks like someone had some fun in the mud today._"

I looked at a mirror and saw lots of mud on my clothes. I guess so. I do like mud, afterall.

"_I sure did._" I said.

"_Well, you're not going to walk around the house like that. Take off your jacket and you might as well take off your pants as well._" said Evie.

I did as I was told, but afterwards Evie looked at me with a surprised look.

"_How did you get mud on your shirt?_" she asked.

Funny. How did I?

"_I don't know._" I replied.

"_Take it off._" Evie said.

So it seems that I'm undressing in front of Evie. And Evie seemed to be fine with it. I guess I did it a lot. After I removed my shirt, I sat on the counter next to the washer and Evie and watched her put my muddy clothes in along with some other dirty clothes of mine. Then all of a sudden she removed my bra and threw it in the washer as well.

"_Hey!_" I exclaimed.

"_I might as well wash all your clothes. Take off your underwear_." Evie said.

Okay, this is definitely a type of dream I never had before. I'm sure when we were still on the Isle, Evie dreamed about boys but I never did. However, I didn't argue with her and complied. Evie started the washer and grabbed my hands to pull me down. She looked at my body then looked at my eyes.

"_While I don't like to think someone else is prettier than me, for you I'll make an exception._" she said.

She grabbed me and pinned up against the door. She then started kissing my whole body before she stopped and looked at me.

"_Mal…_"

Couldn't think of anything more to say, she kissed my neck, my cheeks and then our lips touched.

"_It'll be a bit before the washer is done. How about we go to our room?_" Evie asked.

"_Sure._" I said.

I followed Evie to our bedroom. It looked the same as before, except this time, I was able to see our bathroom. Well, not only seen it, but I was in it. The bathroom was a good size. Bigger than the one in our dorm room. The walls were all white. There was a skylight on the roof as well as some fancy light fixtures above this big mirror. The vanity was grey with a marble countertop, just like the kitchen. But there was also a makeup vanity that was blue in color with a round mirror in front. Obviously for Evie.

The shower was glass, with rock pebbles as backsplash. I don't think that's the design I would choose, but that's how it was. The floors were nice though, grey planks. Evie led me to the bathtub. It was a big, rectangular shaped soaker with built in jets. Evie filled it with water. After it was filled, she told me to get in and as I did, she poured soap into the water which created bubbles. After I was in, Evie grabbed a purple shower sponge and rubbed my right arm with it.

"_I need my baby clean for tonight._" Evie said.

Tonight? What's happening tonight? I never knew. Evie continued to clean me with the sponge all over my body.

"_Why don't you join me?_" I asked.

Evie smiled and nodded.

"_Good idea._" she said.

Evie slid out of her blue dress. The only thing she was wearing underneath was a blue lace thong. Okay, now this is definitely a dream that is way out of character for me. However, I can't say I don't like it. Evie got in and laid on top of me.

"_Promise me something._" said Evie.

"_What's that?_" I asked.

"_That you'll get dirty for me like this more often. Cause I could get use to this._" she said.

"_You have my word. But you should join me in the mud sometime._" I said.

"_What? Ew, no. I don't want to get my clothes all dirty._" she said.

"_Then we'll play in the mud without our clothes on._"

"_No, I don't want my skin to get dirty either._"

"_Isn't mud good for your skin though? You know, for alleviating stress and toning your skin?_"

Evie had a look on her face which I found to be funny. I got her.

"_You're asking for it, aren't you?_" she responded.

I don't know what she meant by that. But as Evie continued to lay on me, I slid her thong off her and tossed it out of the tub. We then kissed each other and moaned loudly as we were making out inexorably. However I didn't realize as I was dreaming of us doing that, I was moving around a lot in my sleep. Like I was following the movements of what I was doing in the dream. Evie woke up and she noticed me moving around. Thinking I was having a bad dream, she shook me, trying to get me out of it. My dream had ended and I was woken up.

"Mal wake up, it's okay." she said.

I opened my eyes and saw I was in our dorm room. I looked to my right and saw Evie.

"Damn it, Evie! Why did you wake me?" I asked.

"You were having a bad dream." she replied.

"No I wasn't." I said.

"Yes you were. You were groaning and moving around in your sleep. But it's okay now. You're alright. It was only a dream." she said as she held me closely and rubbed my back.

I sighed.

"Yeah, you got that right." I said.


	11. Double Detention

_Double Detention_

[_Auradon Prep. 9:00 am_]

Mal's POV

We were back in the detention room for the second and final day. Chad is scared of me now, and I love it. He won't bother Evie anymore, that's for sure. I have to say though, I'm surprised at Evie. It's her first time in detention, or today really is her second time, but she doesn't seem upset about it. I was expecting her to plead not to be placed here since it might ruin her perfect record. But she really isn't like that anymore. She's changed, or evolved really. Like I have. We all have. We worked on our class work and flirted with each other occasionally.

However, Evie has a chemistry exam coming up and I know she'll need to focus on that. I soon finished a worksheet and got bored. I felt a vibration in my jacket. I reached in a pocket and pulled out my phone. There was a text from Carlos. He wanted to know how things were going. I replied saying that everything was fine. He then asked if I would like to hang out after school. I told him I would like to.

"Hey, Mal!" exclaimed the teacher.

"Yo." I said while looking at my phone.

"Are you texting in my class?"

"Yep." I replied, still looking at my phone.

"Well put your phone away and work on this."

The teacher put a textbook in front of me.

"Work until you reach page fifty two."

"Fifty two?!" I exclaimed.

"Did I stutter?"

This guy is really getting on my nerves. I put my phone away and looked over at Evie and saw her smiling to herself.

"I'm going to step out for a little bit. I expect both of you to be on your best behavior. Especially you, Mal." said the teacher.

"Of course. I wouldn't want to do anything that'll get me into more trouble." I said, sarcastically, of course.

The teacher left, and I looked at Evie a second time. She was still smiling.

"Why are you smiling? I asked.

Evie shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess it's just because I enjoy being around you." she replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well, you're yourself again. And it makes me happy to see that."

I got out of my desk and ran over to Evie and hugged her. Evie hugged me back.

"I love you, Evie." I said.

"I love you too, Mal."

We kissed a few times. I wanted to continue, but Evie stopped me.

"No, Mal. We must control ourselves in public. We made that promise, remember?" she said.

"Well, you did. I didn't say anything."

"Mal.."

"Okay, fine. But you're so beautiful."

"I know. And so are you. Now return to your desk." said Evie.

"Fine." I said.

I did as I was told.

"And work until you reach page fifty two." said Evie.

I frowned at Evie after she said that. She looked at me with a blank stare, but then smiled and winked at me. I couldn't help but smile back.

"You know, I love the way you play with me." I said.

Evie raised a brow at my comment.

"Wait. That came out wrong...Or did it? But do you really care if I finish my work or not?" I asked.

"Well, I don't want to see you fail. Just do what you can. Whatever you don't or can't finish, I'll help you with it later." Evie replied.

Caring and beautiful. She is so perfect. And to think I used to hate her for being so perfect. A few minutes later, the teacher returned.

"Well, looks like I can leave you two alone. Good job, Evie, for keeping Mal in order."

"Keep me in order? Forget that!" I said.

"And she's back." said the teacher.

"Mal, work on your text book." said Evie.

"You haven't even started?" asked the teacher.

"I took a break." I said.

"A break? You haven't even worked enough to have one!"

As the teacher and I argued a little, Evie had her hand over her mouth to hide her smile and laugh. It's been awhile since I made Evie laugh, so that made me feel good in the end. Lunch time later came, and we were allowed to eat outside. Only because the school trusts Evie more to look after me than me to look after myself. We got our lunch from the cafeteria and ate outside in the courtyard. We talked for several minutes, then Audrey walked over to us.

"I can't believe you're still here, Mal." she said.

I groaned. Next to Chad, she's the last person I want to see. I then smiled and saw an opportunity for something.

"Yeah? Well guess what, sister? I'm still here." I said.

Audrey scoffed.

"How? How are you not punished for what you did?" she asked.

"Oh, I've been punished. Just not in the way you'd expect. Just some detention, a little counseling, and a carnival to run." I said.

"Carnival? Ben's having you help run the carnival? Oh no."

"Oh yes."

Audrey groaned and walked away. I smiled and laughed.

"You okay?" Evie asked.

"I'm great. I just found a way to have fun without really hurting someone." I said.

Evie looked at me, but she didn't seem upset or disappointed that I said that. I was expecting a "Mal, that's not nice." But never heard it. The bell rang moments later.

"I better get you back to the classroom." Evie said.

She grabbed my hand and led me back to the room. A few more hours remained until the school day was over. I didn't do much work. I stopped working when I got to page nineteen, and starting thinking about the dream I had last night about Evie. I know, so much talk lately about the dream, and not any action. Well, summer break will begin soon, and that's when phase one of my plan will begin. I will take Evie to the mountain. I'm pretty sure she'll like it. I'll carefully ask her if she wouldn't mind living in a place like that someday.

Phase two, well, I haven't got that far yet. I have a lot I need to figure out. First off, would Evie even be interested in that country? Sure it has nice scenery, but what does it have to offer her? I have yet to learn more about the country. Also, how are we going to afford living in Canada? Evie has her own business. Wait. Evie's business. Would she even be able to operate it in a place so far from Auradon? That might be a huge problem, and most likely be the first concern for her. She's worked so hard to get it going and have it become successful like it is today. I looked over at Evie. She was still working on her classwork.

"_How am I going to do this?_" I thought.

Evie loves me no matter what. And I'm sure she would follow me anywhere. But I don't want her to have to give up what she has and enjoys doing. Her business means a lot to her. And if it came to a point where she would have to give it up, then it wouldn't make much sense to live elsewhere together. The rest of the day went well, I guess. After school, we returned back to our dorm. I sat on my bed looking at the assignment I haven't yet finished. I'm not even halfway done with it. As I opened the textbook to see where I left off, Evie walked over to me and moved my hand to close the book. I looked at her as she sat at the side of the bed next to me.

"I want you to know that I'm not upset at you in any way." she said.

"I know." I said.

"Okay. I figured you did, since I already told you, but I felt like I should tell you one more time. You're happy again, and it makes me feel good." she said.

I smiled. Yeah, I have been happy lately, and it does feel good.

"So, do you need any help with your work?" she asked.

"No, I'm good." I replied.

"Are you sure? You haven't got real far on it."

"I didn't feel like doing anymore." I said.

"Mal, you shouldn't be like that. You have to do the work."

"I know. I'll finish it. I promise." I said.

And I meant it too.

"Okay. But I'm holding you to it." she said.

"Evie?"

"Yeah?"

I was about to ask her how she felt about forests, but I quickly stopped myself. This is definitely not the right time. Without anything else to say, I found myself stuttering a bit.

"What? You love me?" Evie asked.

"Uh..yeah. I-I love you." I managed to say.

Evie smiled.

"I love you too, baby." she said.

She kissed me and then tapped my nose. First time she's ever done that to me. She got up and walked over to her desk and got on her laptop. I reopened my book and pulled out a notebook from my bag and continued where I left off. I didn't get real far before Evie called my name.

"Mal?"

"Yeah?"

"Come here for a sec."

I got up and walked over to her.

"Yeah?" I said.

"Was this you?" she asked.

Evie pointed to her laptop screen. I looked and saw what I had searched when I used Evie's laptop a while back. Remember when I used her laptop to search for "best forests to live in the world"? Well, the laptop's history page shows all the pictures and webpages I clicked on, including my search about Canada.

* * *

**A/N: Rest in peace, Cameron Boyce. You are no doubt one of the greatest actors and will always be missed.**


	12. Confide

_Confide_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 4:15 pm_]

Mal's POV

I had to think of something fast. I cannot let Evie know. I'm not ready yet. Except Evie saw my reaction.

"Mal?"

"It was me. I'm really sorry Evie." I said.

I was scared now. My secret will be blown any second.

"Best forests to live in the world? Mal, you weren't planning to run away, were you?" she asked.

"What? No! Not at all. It-it was for a class assignment, that's all." I said.

"Class assignment?" Evie asked.

"Yes. I'm really sorry, Evie. I knew I should've asked. I'm very sorry, Evie. I won't do it again. I promise."

"Hey, it's okay. I don't mind at all. I just want to make sure it was you, that's all." Evie said.

She could tell I was anxious, but perceiving it for a different reason than mine.

"Okay." I said, as I started to calm down .

Evie kissed me on the cheek and rubbed my arm.

"Go ahead and resume on your school work. Let me know if you need any help." she said.

"Okay." I said.

I went back to my bed and quietly took a deep breath. It seemed she bought it. Thank god. Because I'm not ready yet to tell her. When I do, she's going to ask me lots of questions, and I would like to have an answer for all of them.

Evie's POV

Something wasn't right about what just happened. Mal was keeping something from me. I can feel it. But I didn't dare question her further. I didn't want to stress her out. Instead, I logged onto my business website and saw that I had an order. From Audrey. Right, carnival day is coming soon and she would want something good to wear. I heard my phone vibrate from my purse. I grabbed it and saw a text message from Audrey.

"_Did you get my order?_"

"_Yes. I'm looking over it now._" I replied back.

I looked over her plans for the design of the dress and her notes. Of course she would want something elaborate. But I can't totally blame her. I'm like that as well.

"_Good. Come to my dorm room as soon as you can. There's some other things about the design I need to discuss._" Audrey texted.

"_I'll be there shortly._" I texted back.

This is good. I have another opportunity to make more money. I'm sure the other girls will want something nice to wear for the carnival day. Ben said that there will be music, so most likely there will be a dance as well. I'll have to go back to the city to buy more material soon. I only bought enough to make Mal and myself nightdresses. I got myself freshened up and went over to Mal.

"Hey, how are you doing?" I asked.

"Fine." she replied.

"Okay, good. Got any questions?"

"No, I'm good."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to go out. Audrey sent me an order for a dress she wants for the carnival. So I'm going to her dorm to discuss the details. Will you be okay for awhile? I'm not sure how long I'll be." I said.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Alright. Text me if something comes up otherwise."

"Okay."

I leaned over the bed to kiss Mal on the lips. Afterwards, I blew her one just before leaving.

Mal's POV

Thirty minutes went by and I was almost done with my work. "Work until page fifty two." I feel that might have been part of my punishment as well. I got to page forty two. Ten more to go. As I turned to the next page, I felt my phone vibrate. I grabbed it and saw a text from Carlos.

"_Are you available?_"

"_Yes._" I replied back.

"_Cool. Come to the tourney field._"

"_On my way._"

I looked at the textbook before scoffing and closing it.

"I'll finish it later." I said.

I left the dorm room and headed to the tourney field.

[_Tourney Field. 5:10 pm_]

Mal's POV

"It's been a while since we did something together." said Carlos.

"What are you talking about? Last weekend we went to the city and had fun." I said.

"Yeah, but I mean us. You and I. We never hang out together anymore." he said.

I started to feel bad. He's right. We never do anything anymore.

"I'm so sorry, Carlos. I truly am. I've been so intensely focused on Evie, I had forgotten about my friends and my family." I said.

"It's okay. Evie's your love. I don't blame you for always thinking about her. But try and have a little time for others."

"I will. I promise." I said.

That's a promise I know I will definitely keep.

"So, whatcha' wanna do?" I asked.

"Wanna play a game of tourney?" he asked.

"Sure. I've kinda been wanting to try it." I said.

So we went to the field and Carlos told me how it's played. I failed many times, but had fun otherwise. After more failures, I started to get the hang of it. And we both played for, well, I don't know how long. But regardless, we had fun. After feeling tired out, we sat down by some tall trees and rested.

"So what else is happening with you, Mal?" Carlos asked.

"Mm, nothing. Just school work and...that's really it." I replied.

"Oh, okay."

"How are things with you and Jane?" I asked.

"Good. We're planning to take things to the next level in our relationship this summer." Carlos said.

"Really? Well, good for you!"

"Yeah, but, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure."

"No, I mean, it's really personal."

"Go ahead. You're family, I don't mind. Whatever you would like to know." I said.

For some reason, I feel more comfortable saying that to Carlos. If it was Jay I was talking to, I'm not quite sure.

"How are you and Evie in your relationship?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Like, what base are you two on?"

"Oh, second."

"Second?"

"Yeah. For a while, I've been hoping we can go to third base, or maybe just cut straight to fourth depending on how things go. But Evie isn't ready yet. But it's good that you and Jane are taking things slow. Sometimes it's better that way."

"Yeah."

Then for some reason, I started thinking about my dream. It seems to keep coming back at the wrong time. I kept wondering why. Is it because I'm holding it in? I don't dare write it down since I'm afraid that Evie might find out. I got lucky earlier, but I cannot let it happen again. I looked at Carlos. He had his head rested up against the tree with his eyes closed. I wonder, if I confide in someone about my dream, would it make me feel better and allow me to focus on what needs to be done? And it won't keep coming back in my mind at the wrong times? There was only one way to find out, and the best person was sitting next to me.

"Carlos?" I said.

"Yeah?" he said, looking at me.

"Since we're talking about personal things, can I tell you something?" I asked, not really wanting to do this, but I feel I have to.

"Of course." he said.

"No, listen. What I'm about to tell you has to remain between us. You cannot tell anybody. You cannot tell Jane. You cannot tell Jay. And most importantly, you absolutely cannot tell Evie." I said, with a little sternness in my voice.

"Why? Did you do something bad?" he asked.

"What? No! Carlos, please listen to me." I said.

"I am. And I promise, whatever you're about to tell me, I will keep it a secret. I will not tell anyone. I promise."

I looked at Carlos for a few moments before feeling it was okay.

"Okay." I said.

I moved myself closer to Carlos and we both sat across from each other. I sighed, knowing once I say this, there is no going back. But I know I can trust Carlos.

"Last week, I had a dream about myself and Evie. We were living in a, what I call a luxurious home." I began.

"Where?" Carlos asked.

"Somewhere far away from here. I researched a little and found the setting to where my dream was taking place is similar to a country called Canada."

"Canada? I've heard of it. That's really far away."

"Yeah." I said.

"I'm sorry, go on." said Carlos.

"Anyway, I don't know much details, but I saw the inside of the house and it was really nice. Everything seemed high end and bright. Kind of an opposite to what I like, but yet I liked it. When I walked into this amazing kitchen, I saw Evie, making dinner and she looked amazing as well. But the house. The house was just incredible. It felt more grand than what is here. You know, with the castles and such. Except it wasn't a castle we were living in, it was one of those contemporary style homes. You ever seen those before?"

"Pictures of them, yeah."

"Me too. Our bedroom was nice too. And so was our bathroom. In fact, I had a second dream about it last night. It took place in our big laundry room, then our nice bathroom. I had mud on my clothes and Evie made me take them off so she could wash them. Then she led me to the bathroom. And it was big as well. Way bigger than what we got in our dorms."

I softly laughed.

"And then I dreamed about having sex with Evie in the bathtub."

Carlos raised his brows. I looked at him and softly laughed again.

"Sorry. Probably shouldn't have told you that part. But anyway, for some reason, those dreams, especially the first, has really bothered me. And I would love to make it come true, except I'm afraid Evie might not like living in a forest. During summer break, I plan on taking her to the mountain and see if she likes it. I'll carefully ask her if she wouldn't mind living in a place like that someday." I said.

"And if she doesn't?"

"I still plan on finding a home for us, but it'll just have to be in a different location, that's all. And I'm alright with that. So as long as we live in a home similar to what I had dreamed about. But I have one main problem."

"Evie's business." Carlos said.

"You know. And that will probably be the first thing she asks about. I don't want her to have to give it up. But would it thrive in a place far away? Probably not."

"If it doesn't, how would you afford to live there?"

"I'm still figuring that out. Getting jobs, of course. But doing what? I'm not sure. There's still a lot more I need to figure out. Like if Evie wants to leave."

"When are you planning to leave?"

"I don't have a date. And that's okay. I'm not in a hurry. As long as we can move sometime in the near future, like in the next few years, I'll be alright. It's all really how Evie feels." I said.

"But how would you know if you don't tell her?" Carlos asked.

"I want to know as much as I can and have things planned out as much as I can before I tell her." I replied.

"Wow. It seems like you have a lot more going on than you let on."

I smiled.

"Yeah, I do. But I feel better now. Telling you about this has definitely lifted a lot of weight off my shoulders." I said.

"Good. I'm glad. And I'll be glad to help you, Mal." Carlos said.

"You will?"

"Of course. I'll help you figure things out. In secret of course. As I promised."

I sighed and began to hug Carlos.

"Thank you so much, Carlos. You truly are the greatest little brother I've ever had." I said.

"The _only _little brother you've ever had."

"Which makes you the greatest."

I gave him a kiss on the cheek and we both got up from the ground.

"Well, I better head back to the dorm." I said.

"Oh, really?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so. Evie doesn't know I left." I said.

"She doesn't? How?" Carlos asked.

"She's with Audrey, going over a dress order she made for Evie."

"Oh, okay."

"But we'll hang out again soon, I promise."

"Okay. I love you, sis." he said.

"I love you too, bro." I said.

I kissed him on the cheek one more time before heading back to the dorm. That was nice. I do feel better now that I have said something. And I feel even better to know that I'll be helped.


	13. Early Morning Date

_Early Morning Date_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 6:12 pm_]

Mal's POV

I returned back to the dorm room. When I got inside, I saw Evie sitting on a chair at her desk. Her legs were crossed and her hands were in her lap. She was looking at me. It seemed like she was waiting for me to return. But may I say, she looked so attractive sitting like that. It was a big turn on.

"Hey, beautiful." I said, a little seductively.

"Hello, baby. Care to tell me where you went?" she asked, with a little sweetness in her voice.

"Just for a walk." I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"With who?" Evie asked.

"Carlos." I replied.

"Okay. So you finished your work then?" Evie asked.

"Uh, well...not exactly." I said.

Evie sighed and pointed me to my bed.

"Go have a seat." she said.

She was a little disappointed. As I sat in my bed, Evie sat right next to me and opened the textbook.

"Now, we're going to finish this together." she said.

"But I don't want to do this anymore." I said.

"Mal, please. Let's just finish this, and you won't ever need to worry about it again, okay?"

"Fine." I said.

I was starting to feel anger, and Evie noticed. But she knows how to get me to feel better.

"Hey, we finish this, and you can give me all the kisses you want. I know how you were feeling earlier. You can put all that energy into me." she said.

"Really? Okay." I said.

I agreed to her deal and we spent the next hour completing the work. Afterwards, we were finally finished.

"There, now don't you feel better that you got this done?" Evie asked.

"Yeah, I guess I do." I said.

Evie put the textbook and papers in my bag and laid fully in my bed. She then signaled me to lay on her, which I happily did. My head rested just under hers and Evie covered us with my blanket. Evie said I could give her as many kisses as I want, but I only kissed her a few times. Laying on her with her rubbing my back as we were covered by a blanket just felt really nice to me. I didn't want to do anything else. We fell asleep a little later on. We slept until shortly after three in the morning. We didn't eat dinner. So we were very hungry when we woke up.

"Great, now how are we going to get food?" I asked.

Evie patted me on the shoulder.

"Let's go for a walk." she said.

I scoffed.

"What? Now? Evie, you can't be serious. Where to?" I asked.

"To the cafeteria." she said.

"There's not going to be anything there." I said.

"Just come with me." she said.

I sighed. No point in arguing with her. Evie took her jacket off and laid it over a chair. Her shirt was nice. Red with a blue collar. I decided to take mine off as well. My shirt was a simple purple t-shirt. I followed her out the door. We walked out of the dorm building into the outside. But before we reached the school, Evie stopped and looked at the night sky.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" she asks.

"Yeah, you." I replied.

Evie softly laughed.

"No, silly. I mean look at the sky. It's so nice out. With the stars out, and the moon. I always loved a moonlit night." she said.

I looked up at the sky as well. Without thinking, I grabbed Evie's hand and held it. Evie kissed me on the cheek and we looked at the night sky for a little longer. We continued to hold hands as we walked to the cafeteria.

"Okay, so why are we here again?" I asked.

"We're here so I can make us a meal." Evie replied.

"_Riight_." I said.

"Mal, I don't think I've ever cooked for you before. And I've been wanting to for a long time. I figured this is my chance."

"You really like taking care of me, don't you?" I asked.

"Of course. Some would probably say it's a bother, but I personally enjoy it. Besides, you know I can cook, clean, sew, all that. If we ever do have our own place one day, I wouldn't mind being the homemaker."

Okay, that gave me a little more information. So if Evie stays at home, how would we afford the housing costs? _I _would probably have to go out and work. Hopefully Carlos can really help me with that part of planning. We walked into the kitchen.

"So, what are you going to make us?" I asked.

"Not sure yet. I'll have to look around and see what's available." Evie replied.

I sat at a table and watched Evie as she looked in all the cabinets as well as the refrigerator.

"I got it!" she exclaimed.

"What?" I asked.

"Casserole." Evie replied.

My head instantly shot up.

"Casserole?" I asked.

"Yeah! We got macaroni noodles here. Think of it as a macaroni and cheese dinner, but with some extra ingredients and deliciousness."

Evie made a casserole in my first dream. Although, I don't remember what kind it was. I watched Evie prep the meal. I offered to help, but she told me she was good. Twenty minutes passed and Evie put the casserole in the oven to cook.

"Okay, in thirty minutes our dinner will be ready." Evie said.

"Evie, we won't get in trouble for this will we? I mean, I'm already on the school's bad list as it is." I said.

"Don't worry. This is between you and I. When our dinner is done in the oven, I will clean this kitchen so good, they won't even know we were here." Evie said.

"Yeah, but you can't replace the missing ingredients. Or the dish we're using." I said.

"Relax, babe. I'm going to use a container to put our meal in and I'll clean the dish out and put it back. No one will know we were here, okay?"

"Okay." I said.

"Good. Now let's enjoy this time we're having together."

Evie does have a bad side sometimes. Really, we're not supposed to be here. But she doesn't care. I like that. When the oven sounded off, Evie did what she said she was going to do. We cleaned the kitchen real good and checked a few times to make sure we didn't leave anything out of place. Afterwards we returned back to our dorm to eat our meal at our table. It was very delicious. Evie really outdid herself.

"You really are a great cook, Evie." I said.

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I'm glad I got the opportunity to do something for you." she said.

"You do a lot for me. I need to do things for you now."

"Don't worry about that. I don't ask for anything in return from you. Your smile is all the thanks I need."

I got up from my chair and walked over to Evie and sat on her lap. Evie put her arms around me.

"Evie, if we had our own kitchen, would you cook like this more often?" I asked.

"Absolutely. I would make us the best meals everyday." Evie replied.

She sighed and kissed me.

"I'm hoping we can have our own place someday. It doesn't have to be a castle, but perhaps a nice house."

I smiled and kissed Evie.

"I know we will, Evie. It'll take some work, but it will happen." I said.

Accomplishing my dream will be the biggest, and best thing I could ever do for Evie. And little did I know, I was soon going to catch a big break. Jumping ahead, the rest of the week went fine. I had two counseling meetings with Fairy Godmother. She got me to talk about my problems. And I hated every moment of it. Evie started studying for her final chemistry exam. Like she really needs to, she's so good at it. But she told me it's never a bad thing to prepare ahead. I think she's trying to teach me some life lessons. When she was studying in her bed, I went over to her and tried to make love to her, but she stopped me before I could really get into it.

"Oh come on, Evie. You've been studying for over an hour." I said.

"What? You expect me to be done in ten minutes?" she asked.

"Well, no. But you should take a break." I said.

I kissed her on the neck and up to her lips. That's when she stopped me again.

"Mal, please. I really need to study." she said.

"Okay, fine." I said.

I laid next to Evie and remained still. Evie softly sighed and looked at me.

"I'm sorry, baby. But I have to." she said.

"I know." I said.

"I'll tell you what." she said.

"What?"

"When the exams are over, and after the last day of the term, I will show you my entire body."

Whoa, never expected to hear that.

"You will?" I asked.

"I will. I promise, Mal. Let's just get past the remaining days these weeks, and I promise, I will give you the best night of your life." Evie said.

"Wow, okay. You serious?"

"Very. I mean it. I'll kiss on it."

Evie pulled me into a passionate kiss. Well, passionate isn't really the word I should use. Evie had french kissed me. Something we've never done before.

"Did you just..?"

"Indeed. I meant what I said, baby. Just wait a little bit longer. I'll make it worth it, I promise." she said.

I smiled in response. Another part of my dream was going to come true soon. I was thinking, should we make love in the bathtub like in my dream? But it seems like Evie has a plan, and I'll let her do whatever she wants with me. The next day afterschool, Evie and I went back to the city to buy more material for the dress orders she's been receiving. Apparently, there will be a dance for the carnival. She spent that day, as well as all day Saturday and Sunday making dresses. I tried to help, but I have little to none in experience sewing. Luckily she's got people who can help.


	14. Love And Planning

_Love And Planning_

[_Auradon Prep. 10:36 am_]

Mal's POV

Monday arrived. And after our second class ended, I had a strong urge to use the bathroom. I ran to the nearest one as fast as I could. And I just made it. As I was drying my hands after washing them, Evie walked in.

"Hey, Evie." I said.

"Hi, baby. How are you?" asked Evie.

"I'm good. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm also good."

"Oh that's good."

I watched as Evie checked herself out in the mirror.

"You always look beautiful, Evie." I said.

"I know. I just like looking at myself in the mirror." she said.

"You and your mirrors." I said.

Evie smiled.

"I hope the mirror doesn't mind this." I said.

"What do you mean?" Evie asked.

I went up to Evie and kissed her. Evie blushed. I then grabbed Evie's hands and kissed her some more. I figured it was alright since we were the only ones in the bathroom. We kissed until Evie's back was up against a wall. I looked to my right and saw the largest stall. I smiled as I looked at it.

"What?" Evie asked.

I playfully shoved Evie into the stall and closed the stall door behind me as I walked in.

"Mal, what are you doing?" Evie asked.

"Shut up and kiss me." I said.

Evie softly smiled. I could tell she was liking this. We held each other closely as we kissed each other many times on the lips. Evie quietly moaned as I kissed her numerous times on both sides of her neck. Pleasing my girl makes me feel proud of myself. I kissed her once more on the neck before I stopped and looked at her. I looked down at her pants and saw she was wearing a black belt with gold sparkly bits on it.

"You like it? I designed it myself." Evie said.

"I do like it. But it's not really what I was looking at." I replied.

"Oh. Do I have something on my pants?" Evie asked as she looked at them.

"No, Evie. You look great." I said.

I grabbed her belt and unhooked it. Then I unbuttoned her pants and began to pull them down before Evie grabbed my hands to stop me.

"Mal! What are you doing?!" Evie asked.

She was shocked to see what I was doing.

"Come on, Evie. I just want to look at it." I said.

"Look at what?" Evie asked.

"You know..._It_."

Evie gasped as she realized my meaning. I smirked as I unbuttoned my pants.

"Here, I'll show you mine."

"No!" Evie exclaimed, a little too loudly.

She grabbed my arms to make me stop. Evie buttoned her pants and fastened her belt.

"Mal, I told you. You need to wait a little longer." she said.

"Why? I've waited for quite awhile." I said.

"I know, but please stay with me. I want our first time to be perfect. So let's not spoil the surprise. Okay?"

I sighed.

"Okay." I said.

I hated having to wait, but I'm sure she would make it a thing to remember. She's my princess, and I don't dare object to her. Evie buttoned my pants and gave me a kiss.

"However, I did like this stunt you did. Shoving me into the stall to kiss me." she said.

"I'm glad you liked it. I might do it again sometime." I said.

"Looking forward to it." Evie said.

We kissed one more time before I opened the stall door. I walked out first and saw Audrey walking in. She looked at me calmly. She didn't seem to hate me, but of course, she doesn't like me either.

"Hello, Mal."

"Hello, Audrey."

Audrey's eyes widened when she saw Evie walk out of the same stall. I laughed.

"Well, you caught us with our pants down." I said, kinda giving away what we were trying to do.

Audrey looked at me, a little horrified.

"That's a figure of speech." I said.

"I know! But...I don't need to know what you two were doing in the same stall." she said.

"Oh, we weren't doing anything bad. We were just-"

"Hey, it's okay! Who you share a stall with and what you do in there is totally none of my business."

Audrey turned around and quickly left. Evie and I quietly laughed.

"I think that's one thing she'll keep to herself." Evie said.

We walked out of the bathroom and saw that we were late to class. Ten minutes late, but at the moment neither of us didn't care.

"Bye, Mal." she said.

"Bye, Evie. See you at lunch." I said.

"Yeah."

We went our separate ways to class. Lunch came an hour later, and we ate together as usual and then went back to class. After the last class, I went to my locker to put my books away. But as I opened my locker. I piece of paper fell out. I grabbed it and looked at it. It was a note from Evie.

"_Mal, come to the chemistry room afterschool. Love, Evie._"

It's afterschool right now. I better go. I put my books away, closed the locker and quickly walked to the chemistry room. When I arrived in the room, I saw Evie working on an experiment.

"Hi, Evie." I said.

"Oh, hey, Mal." Evie said as she was pouring some kind of liquid into a flask.

I kissed her on the cheek and sat at the table across from her.

"So, what am I doing here?" I asked.

"I thought you might like to spend some time with me." Evie replied.

"I spend a lot of time with you. What are you talking about?"

"Oh yeah. Well, I forgot to tell you that I wasn't going to be at the dorm afterschool, so therefore I wrote that note for you."

"You could've just sent me a text." I said.

"I know, but I thought it would be cute to write a note for you." Evie said.

"Of course you did."

I continued to watch Evie mix liquids with different liquids until when she combined two flasks of liquid into one flask, a red cloud poofed into the air.

"Impeccable." Evie said.

"So do you feel ready for the exam?" I asked.

"I do. I know I'm going to pass this. However, I've been thinking, you should take chemistry with me next school year." Evie said.

"Oh no, that's okay. It seems too complicated for me." I said.

"You said the same thing about sewing. All you need is for someone to teach you. And I'm your perfect teacher."

"I don't know, Evie."

"Just think about it. We still have one more week before the term is over, and to turn in your application for the classes you want to take next term. It would be nice to have a class with you again. We haven't had one at all this year."

"Okay, I'll think about it."

Evie walked over to me and kissed me.

"Thank you, Mal."

We later returned back to our dorm and finished our homework and ate dinner. Afterwards we got ready for bed, made some love, and fell asleep. But sometime during the eleven o'clock hour, I woke up to a knock at the door. Thinking that someone must've accidentally knocked on the wrong door, which I don't know how that is possible since Evie's business logo is on the outside of our door, I thought nothing of it. Until there was another knocking at the door. Can't be a mistake now. I looked at Evie, who was still asleep. Deep sleeper sometimes. I carefully got out of bed, making sure I don't wake her. I walked to the door and opened it. Carlos was at the door.

"Carlos?" I said quietly.

"Hi, Mal." he said quietly.

"Hi. What-what are you doing here at this time?" I asked.

"Mal, I know it's late-"

"Yeah, very."

"But I figured this is the best time. Because I got some info for you." he said.

"About what?" I asked.

"Your dream."

At least this was a good reason. I'm going to lose sleep time, but it will be worth it.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. Come with me." Carlos said.

"Okay, I'll be right back out." I said.

I closed the door and quickly, but quietly, put my shoes on. I looked at myself in the mirror. Luckily, I was wearing a shirt when I answered the door. Cause I didn't realize it until just then. I straightened my hair a little and left the room. I walked with Carlos down the hallway.

"So what you got?" I asked.

"Some ideas." Carlos replied.

"Helpful." I said, sarcastically.

Carlos led me to a small room that had a table and some chairs. Setup like a meeting room. Which is fitting since this is business we're doing. Carlos followed me in the room and closed the door. Carlos opened his laptop which was sitting on the table when we got there. I sat in the chair next to the laptop. Carlos sat next to me.

"Okay, Mal. Let's start with the first main problem you got." he said.

"Evie's business?" I asked.

"No." Carlos replied.

"Huh?"

"No. Mal you have two main problems. The first is if Evie even wants to leave Auradon. The second is Evie's business. But let's start with the first. Has Evie shown any signs that she would like to leave or is even interested in living in a home of her own?"

"She has actually. Last week when we had dinner one night, she told me that if we ever did have our own place, she wouldn't mind being the homemaker. She also said that it didn't have to be a castle, just a really nice house. However, she never did say where she would like to live." I explained.

"Okay, wow." Carlos said.

"What?" I asked.

"This is going to be a lot easier than I thought." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if Evie said that her home doesn't have to be a castle and based on what you just said, then that first problem is taken care of."

"Okay. But what about Evie's business?"

"If Evie said, she wouldn't mind being a homemaker, then her business can thrive." Carlos said.

"How?" I asked.

"Online." Carlos replied.

"Online?"

"Yes! Mal, it's simple. She could not only receive orders from the girls here in Auradon, but from anyone upto the entire world." Carlos said.

"The entire world?"

"Listen to me, Mal. She's got her own website. But if she were to promote her website outside of Auradon and her reputation of what she created here, there would be so many more customers she can get and think of all that money she would make. Think about it, she gets so many orders, she-"

"Would get so overwhelmed. Carlos, she's only one girl. And I can't really help out. She said she can teach me, but she's had years of experience. But it doesn't change that she's only one person. She wouldn't be able to handle all that." I said.

"But let's say she saves enough to open her own establishment. She would be able to hire people with the same knowledge to help make the dresses and stuff, who knows? Maybe her little business could one day become a huge company. Online retail is where a lot of people are going these days. Mal, Evie's business is no longer a problem."

I sighed. Trying to take in everything Carlos has told me.

"Wow. I never would have thought of that. But let's not think about promoting her website to the entire world right now. I just want a life with Evie. Just her and I. So let's keep things where we're going to be." I said.

"In Canada?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah. But now I'm back to the first problem. What if she doesn't want to move that far from here? Canada is in a different part of the world. I mean, I guess it doesn't have to be Canada. It could be somewhere else. I just chose Canada because the pictures I saw online look similar to my dream." I said.

"I can't help you with that part. That would be on Evie. One things for sure, you two would be better with a second income. And that's where you would have to go out and work."

"I would do anything to make this a reality. Anything for Evie." I said.

"Even doing things that are the opposite of you?" Carlos asked.

"I would do anything I can."

I rested my head on the table. A little bothered, and feeling a little depressed for some reason. I guess I'm nervous on the fact if Evie would like to move so far away. Auradon is our home, and our family and friends are here. With my head still laying on the table, I spaced out until I felt Carlos rubbing my back.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Evie. If Canada doesn't sound appealing to her, I will consider another location. Honestly, I don't even know what's there myself. I haven't been doing any research." I said.

"I guess that's why I'm here." Carlos said.

Carlos moved his laptop to me and on the screen was a tourist website describing some information about Canada.

"It's a place I wouldn't mind visiting myself. They got a cool looking aquarium, some nice nature parks I'm sure Evie would love, and some interesting historic buildings."

"What about the cities?"

Carlos did a search on his computer and showed me a picture of a city surrounded by lots of water.

"Whoa." I exclaimed as I looked at the picture.

"For Evie's style, I recommend Vancouver. But their mortgage rates are on the high end. And you two would need something easy to start with."

"Plus it's not near a forest. But that's a city worth visiting. I can tell Evie would instantly fall in love with the view." I said.

I then yawned heavily.

"We'll stop here for now. I'll keep looking for the best city for you." said Carlos.

"Thank you, Carlos, so much. This really means a lot to me. And you do as well." I said.

"Just simply a little brother helping out his big sister."

"No, you're a little more than that."

We hugged before I kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night, Carlos." I said.

"Good night, Mal." he said.

I left and returned to the dorm room. Evie was still asleep. I took off my shirt and shoes and carefully laid back into bed. I looked at Evie and smiled. Not quite ready to tell her, but definitely a lot closer than before.

I know it's been a long journey so far. But this is something you can't really rush. However, after the carnival, that's when things will be put in motion. However, little did I know, after Evie knows about my dream, two bad things will happen to me. The second thing will put my dream in jeopardy. But it won't completely stop me from achieving my goal. In fact, the events that are to follow, will help me even more.


	15. Final School Days

_Final School Days_

[_Tourney Field. 5:23 pm_]

Evie's POV

It was Thursday evening, and Mal and I, along with the rest of the school was at the final tourney game of the year. The energy in the air was full of excitement. Shortly after the game started, Mal and I were on the second to last row of the bleachers, and I had choked on a piece of hotdog while yelling "go team" as loud as I could. Mal had to help me get the piece of hotdog out of me. After she did, the piece of hotdog flew out of my mouth and flew right past Audrey, who was in front of us on the bottom row. Audrey glared at Mal, thinking that Mal tried to throw the hotdog at her, despite me coughing next to her. Other than that, the evening went wonderful.

Carlos scored the final winning goal, and his team, along with Jay, had won. We all clapped and cheered for them. When the school press was taking pictures of Carlos and his team, I had them take a picture of Mal and I kissing Carlos on the cheek. With Mal being on the left and me on the right. That might have been a little much, but hey, memories. We also a picture taken of Jay, Carlos, Mal and myself. Both photos are something for a family scrapbook which I have been in the process of making. After the boys got their stuff and were walking back to the dorm building, Mal and I caught up with them.

"Awesome game, guys." I said.

"Yeah, that was a good way to end the season." said Mal.

"Definitely. Carlos looked good, but I would've looked awesome." said Jay.

"Yeah, okay." said Carlos.

We all laughed and talked some more as we were walking back to the dorm building. Once inside, we said our goodbyes for the night and went our different ways.

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 8:46 pm_]

Evie's POV

Mal and I relaxed in my bed, hurting from the long day we had.

"That was an awesome night." Mal said.

"Wasn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah." said Mal.

"Hey, show me the selfies we took." I said.

Mal handed me her phone and I looked through the pictures. I saw a few that were definitely worth printing for the scrapbook. But the scrapbook wasn't the only project I was working on. I handed Mal her phone back and sat up.

"Hey." I said as I patted her leg.

"Hi." Mal said.

"I want to show you something." I said as I got up from the bed.

I walked over to our closet and grabbed a purple dress. Remember the nightdresses I was planning to make for Mal and myself? Well, they are finally complete.

"Here, try this on." I said as I handed Mal the dress.

Mal gasped.

"Is this my nightdress you told me about a few weeks ago?" she asked.

"Yes. Go try it on." I said.

I expected Mal to go in the bathroom, but she took her shoes, jacket, shirt, bra and pants off in front of me. However, I couldn't help but watch with wonder. I squealed in delight as I looked at Mal with the dress on. The nightdress had dark purple as it's color. With a silky texture both inside and out. A small green little dragon was on the bottom right side. A thin shoulder strap on both sides, and the dress length went down to her knees. I intended it to be shorter, but for her I had it down further. She doesn't always show as much skin as I do sometimes. Regardless, she looked amazing.

"Oh, my beautiful baby. Look at you. Tell me, how does it feel?" I asked.

"It feels nice." Mal replied.

"Really? It doesn't feel too tight anywhere? It fits perfectly?"

"It does. You did a really nice job, Evie. I love it."

I squealed again and hugged her tightly.

"What's yours look like?" Mal asked.

"I'll show you." I replied.

I grabbed mine and was about to go to the bathroom myself, but then decided not too. The heck with it. Mal took her clothes off in front of me, I might as well do the same. So I did. I left Mal speechless as I grabbed my nightdress. I didn't look at her as I began to put it on, but I could sense she was checking me out.

"_I hope you're enjoying this little preview of me._" I thought.

I really did do a nice job. Mine felt perfect as well. Mine had a dark blue color. Same silky texture with thin shoulder straps on both sides. Except the dress length went down to the middle of my thighs, and a beautiful small golden crown on the left side. I really outdid myself with these, especially since they're the first nightdresses I've made for us.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked as I spun around a few times.

"Beautiful." Mal said after delay.

She was at a loss for words. However, I didn't know this until a little later on, but the nightdress that I made for myself is quite similar to the one I wore in Mal's dreams. That explains why she was speechless.

"I'm glad you think so. Now, let's get some sleep. I got a big day tomorrow." I said.

"What do you got to do tomorrow?" Mal asked.

"Finish making the dresses for the other girls for the carnival and deliver them. It's next week you know." I said.

"That's right. It's on Wednesday."

"Yeah. Ben is going to let us out early so we can enjoy more time at the carnival and then the last day of school will be on Thursday."

"And your exam is on Monday." Mal said.

"Yeah. This year is coming to a close fast." I said.

We went to my bed and cuddled closely as I covered us with the blanket.

"Good night, Mal. I love you."

"I love you too, Evie. Good night."

We kissed and I turned off the light. Friday went well. And afterschool on Friday, I had finally finished all the dresses for the girls and with Mal's help, they were delivered. I have been paid a lot of money for it. I have over two thousand saved up. Not sure what I'm going to do with all that money, but I'm sure one day I'll have a reason for it.

Monday arrived before we knew it, and in my chemistry class, I began to take the final exam. After I was handed the packet, I looked through it and felt very confident and I knew I would easily pass. I felt my phone vibrate. Made sure no one was paying attention to me, I quickly took it out and saw a text from Mal.

"_You got this Evie! I know you'll pass! I'd wish you luck, but you don't need it, because you're the best!_"

"_Thanks, Mal. So are you._" I texted back.

I put my phone away and began the exam. There were a lot of questions. Fifty of them to be exact. However, I finished sooner than everyone else. And the class went by slowly. I took a little nap and woke up to the sound of the dismissal bell. I packed my stuff and left as everyone else did. I met up with Mal in the hallway. We hugged and kissed.

"Hi, baby." I said.

"Hey. So how did it go?" Mal asked.

"It went good. I don't know what I scored. I'll probably find out tomorrow. But I feel good about it."

"Good." said Mal.

"How's your day so far?" I asked.

"It's good. Chad is scared of me. When our paths crossed, he started to get nervous."

"Mal..."

"I didn't do anything. I was thinking about doing something to him. But I didn't. All I did was look at him calmly and he got all anxious and ran off." Mal said.

I smiled.

"Good girl." I said.

I walked Mal to her next class and gave her one more kiss before we went our separate ways. The rest of the day went fine. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. That night, I helped Mal study for a mathematics test that she told me about last minute. She felt prepared, but it was my idea for her to study a little more. So we stayed up little longer than usual to review. Afterwards, we got ready for bed and fell asleep. The next day, when it was time for Mal's mathematics class, I walked her to the class.

"Good luck, baby. I know you'll do your best." I said.

Mal didn't say anything. Instead she looked at me.

"Right?" I asked.

Mal smiled.

"Yes, Evie. I will." she said.

"Kiss on it." I said.

Mal kissed me on the lips, cheeks, and neck.

"Oh, baby." I whispered.

A tingly feeling ran through me. Afterwards, we hugged and Mal walked into her class. As I was walking to my class, Fairy Godmother approached me.

"Hello, Evie." she greeted

"Hello, Fairy Godmother. How are you?" I asked.

"I am well. How are you?"

"I'm also well."

Such formality. I'm more used to it than Mal is.

"May I talk to you for a moment?" she asked.

"Of course, but I'll be late for class." I said.

"Don't worry, I'll vouch for you."

She led me to a more private area to talk.

"So what would you like to talk about?" I asked.

Fairy Godmother sighed. Something was bothering her.

"Evie, I know what you did last week." she said.

"Yeah, I'm not very proud of it either. I don't know what happened. Mal and I always ate lunch together. And I guess I went a little crazy doing what I did. Pretending to be a teacher assistant and making love to Mal on the desks."

"Evie, that's not what I'm talking about. Yes, you made a couple bad decisions, but you learned from them. However, that's not why I wanted to talk to you."

"Then what is it?" I asked.

"Let me rephrase, I know what you and Mal did last week at three in the morning."

My eyes widened. She knows. I had a hard time responding to that.

"You and Mal broke curfew. And you know I take curfew very seriously." she said.

"I do." I said.

"Evie, why did you and Mal go to the kitchen that night?"

"Isn't it obvious? We went there to cook." a familiar voice said.

We turned and saw Mal walking up to us.

"Mal, what are you doing? And why aren't you in class taking your test?" I asked.

"I had to use the restroom. I was on my way back, then I saw you." Mal replied.

"Well, you need to go back to class." I said.

"She knows, doesn't she?" Mal asked.

"Yes, I do." said Fairy Godmother.

"How?" Mal asked.

"A valuable source has informed me." Fairy Godmother replied.

Mal laughed.

"A-a valuable source? You're funny." Mal said.

I sighed. Mal is making things worse. Luckily, she'll listen to me.

"Please, baby. Go back to class. And work hard on your test for me, okay?" I said.

Mal smiled and kissed me.

"Yes, Evie."

Mal walked off while twirling the hall pass in her hand. I sighed again, and faced Fairy Godmother.

"I'm so sorry." I said.

"Say no more, Evie. I've made my decision." she said.

"Whatever it is, I'll gladly accept the punishment. Going to the kitchen was all my idea. And I did wrong, again."

"Evie, there won't be any punishment."

I tucked some of my hair back behind my ear to make sure I was hearing right.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm not going to punish you. I should. I really should. But I won't. You have learned from your mistakes and I'm proud of you." said Fairy Godmother.

"But I know that can't be said for Mal." I said.

"Not directly. Mal is troubled. But I've seen how you are working to try to make her a better person. And since you're the only one she'll listen to for reasoning, she is making progress."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we appreciate your efforts for keeping Mal behaved. Mal is a wonderful person. And we believe she has great potential for great things in this world. As she has already demonstrated."

"Indeed. She's shown that to me as well many times." I said.

Fairy Godmother then handed me a book.

"I understand Mal had a tough time growing up. As you all did no doubt." she said.

"Yeah, that's putting it lightly." I said.

"This book talks about how to deal with emotional issues, how to develop skills for life and how to best express your emotions without the need for anger or violence."

"This sounds like a parenting book." I said.

"Don't look at it that way. There are some things in here that can be useful to help Mal overcome her pain and move forward to making her life a bit easier. The carnival is tomorrow. And since you and Mal are helping to run it, there may be some things that might upset her."

"Like Chad?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Mal has been irritable a few times. About a few weeks ago, I've noticed something has been bothering her lately. But she said she doesn't want to talk about it. She said she's fine." I said.

"Ben told me he'll allow you two to participate in the dance. That will be an excellent opportunity to get Mal's mind off the things that make her upset, and more towards the things she loves. Like you for a start."

I grabbed the book and looked at it before looking at Fairy Godmother.

"Thank you." I said.

"You're very welcome, dear. I'll walk you to your class now." she said.

This may seem like it's not really needed right now. But in the near future, I will be grateful for this. It kind of makes sense right now though. I'm not only Mal's loved one, but also her dependent. Sometimes like a mother she wishes she had.


	16. Carnival Day

_Carnival Day_

[_Auradon Prep. 7:25 am_]

Evie's POV

The second to the last day of school is here. I let Mal sleep in a little bit. Yesterday tired her out for some reason. Oh yeah, I forgot to say, I got at ninety eight percent on my exam. I'm so proud of myself. But anyway, since Ben has allowed me and Mal to participate in the dance, I need to figure out what to wear. I never made myself a dress for the dance, so I'll have to resort to one I've worn in the past. Which is alright. I've got some nice ones. I could wear the dress that's black but with some different shades of blue. Yeah, that'll work. Now I'll have to find something for Mal.

"Hi, Evie."

I exclaimed and jumped as I felt something touch my back. I turned around and saw it was only Mal.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." she said.

"No worries, Mal." I said.

I kissed her and straightened her hair a little.

"Good morning." I said.

"Good morning. What are you doing?"

"Oh, just looking for something to wear for tonight's dance. I found something for me. Now I got to find something for you." I said.

"I thought about that. And I found something." Mal said.

She walked into the closet and held up a black dress covered in purple roses print.

"How about I wear this tonight?"

I studied the dress. It does look nice on Mal, but something felt like it was missing.

"No tiaras." Mal said, knowing what I was thinking.

I smiled.

"That's not what I was thinking. Well, tiaras was on my mind, but I feel your dress is missing an accessory." I said.

I looked through some drawers and found some bracelets. One with small spikes.

"This will do." I said as I held it up.

"Indeed." Mal said.

I hung the dresses back and guided Mal out of the closet.

"Now that we're ready for tonight, let's start the day out with some breakfast. Would you like to walk with me to the cafeteria?" I asked.

"I would." Mal replied.

"Excellent! Let's get ready." I said.

We both took turns using the shower and getting dressed. Afterwards, we applied our makeup together, brushed our hair and were ready for the day.

"How do I look?" I asked.

"Beautiful." Mal replied.

"So do you." I said.

We kissed and left our dorm room. We made the walk to the cafeteria. As we arrived, there were a lot of people there. Not every student but a lot of them. We went to get our breakfast. After we picked out what we wanted we began to head out.

"Mal, Evie!"

We turned around and saw Lonnie.

"Hey, Lonnie." I said.

"Come sit with us." she said.

"Us?" Mal asked.

"Yeah! Come!" Lonnie said as she waved us over.

I looked at Mal, who shrugged, and we both followed Lonnie to a table. At the table was Jane and Audrey.

"_Oh, Audrey is here. Mal, please be nice. Or at least fake it._" I thought.

I immediately sat next to Audrey leaving Mal to sit next to Jane. Good. I think we're okay now. Lonnie sat next to me.

"So...how's everyone's morning so far? Mal asked.

"Oh it's going great! How about yours? Done anything _interesting_ lately?" Audrey asked.

I can see where this is headed. Audrey is provoking Mal. And Mal does not like being provoked.

"Do you always assume things?" Mal asked.

"Only with you." Audrey replied.

"Wow, I should be honored. This coming from a complete-"

"Okay! Lonnie, how's your morning so far?" I interrupted.

"It's going great. Jay and I are going to the dance tonight." she said.

"And Carlos and I are going together as well." said Jane.

"Really? Well I'm certainly happy for you two. Jay and Carlos are great guys." I said.

"I was going to ask if you and Evie were going to the dance. But that's right. You aren't allowed to. So sad." Audrey said to Mal.

"You know what, Audrey? You are so _wrong_!" Mal said.

"I doubt that. I'm hardly ever wrong." said Audrey.

"Well, I don't mean to ruin your perfect record, sorta, but Ben has allowed me and Evie to participate in tonight's dance." Mal said.

Audrey almost fell out of her seat after hearing that.

"What?!" she exclaimed.

"Oh yeah!" said Mal.

"I can't believe this! After what you did to Chad, you only get two days of detention, a little counseling, and now Ben is allowing you two to participate in the carnival?! What is his problem? He's being too nice. That's what it is."

"Or I think he likes me." Mal said.

Audrey groaned and got up from her seat.

"You haven't won, Mal. This isn't over. So don't even think about it." she said.

"Feels over to me." Mal said.

While Audrey glared at Mal, Mal smiled and waved at her. Audrey then walked away. Lonnie, Jane and myself were left speechless. I killed the silence by clearing my throat.

"Well, that ended better than I thought." I said.

"Agreed." said Jane.

"Oh, I almost forgot, how's your morning, Jane?" I asked.

"Good." replied Jane.

We talked some more and ate our breakfast together. Then we headed back to our dorms and got ready for the school day. The school day went well. We were given our year books and we all signed each others, took selfies and had a good time throughout the day. I found out Mal scored an eighty on her mathematics test. Which is good. She probably would've scored lower if I didn't have her study more. It does good. After lunch, Mal and I went to our final classes before school ended for the day.

[_Tourney Field. 2:00 pm_]

Mal's POV

Finally, the time for the carnival has arrived. Seemed like forever, didn't it? Ben told me and Evie to meet him at the tourney field at two. So here we are.

"Hello, Ben." Evie greeted.

"Hello, Evie. Mal. How are you today?" Ben asked.

"We're good. How are you?"

"I'm good. Ready for today?" he asked.

"Yeah. We're ready." Evie replied.

Ben walked us over to a tent. In the entrance, there was a rectangular table with two chairs. In the tent itself was a prize wheel with various things you could win. Like makeup kits, laptops, candy, and gift cards to different shops in Auradon city.

"This will be your station. You two are in charge of the fundraising prizes. The carnival is set to begin at three. Evie, at six, you will be needed to help Lonnie and Jane get things ready for the dance which will be at seven." said Ben.

"Okay." Evie said.

"Mal, I haven't decided what you can do at that time. But I'll let you know if I need you." Ben said.

"Or if I'll need you." Evie said, trying to make it not sound so bad.

I quietly scoffed and faked a smile. Ben walked away and Evie started checking out the stuff in the tent.

"Wow, look at all this stuff!" she said.

She then looked at a red and silver handbag.

"Ooh, I like that!" she said.

Thinking about an old memory, I started to laugh a little and decided to have a little fun of my own.

"What's so funny?" Evie asked.

"Remember the time when you tried to make cupcakes and you made one of them explode on Audrey? Wasn't that funny?"

Evie gasped.

"Certainly not! It took forever for that one post of me to be forgotten." Evie said.

"How about when we were still on the Isle, we set an oatmeal stand on fire and two people got burned? Wasn't that fun?" I asked.

"That was you who did it. You got mad at the goblin because it didn't make the oatmeal how you preferred it." said Evie.

Oh, right. Well, I went on to tease Evie a little more.

"How about when we went to that one bar? After you had a bottle, you ended up getting sick and threw up on the jukebox. Then sparks started flying out of the jukebox and a fire started. And everyone was screaming. Remember that?"

I couldn't help but laugh a lot after talking about that. That was something Evie was not proud of, but it helped her gain popularity on the Isle. Evie decided to say nothing more and walked outside instead. After an hour passed, I was completely bored out of my mind.

"So, we're just basically working for Ben now, aren't we?" I asked.

I wouldn't mind working, if it was for Evie. But it wasn't. I turned to leave, but Evie grabbed me by my jacket to stop me.

"Mal, I know you're not really happy with this. But be grateful Ben let us be together rather than having us be in opposite sides of the tourney field." she said.

I sighed. Still not happy, but agreed.

"You're right, Evie. I guess I do have that to be grateful for." I said.

Evie kissed me on the right cheek.

"Even though we're working, we'll still have fun." she said.

"How?" I asked.

Evie didn't know. She was just trying to keep me happy and all of a sudden, she had lost her train of thought.

"I'll think of something." she said.

She then kissed me on the lips. As time went by, people came over to our tent to try to win a prize. You know how it is. Some win, some don't. However, unbeknownst to Evie, every once in a while, I took a piece of candy. There was so much of it, she wouldn't notice any missing. It was then about four fifteen, and two girls approached Evie and the three started to have a conversation. I got up and walked around the tent. As Evie was talking to the girls, I felt someone walking up behind me. I quickly turned around and saw Carlos.

"Carlos." I said.

"Hey, Mal. What's up?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing, just standing here. Looking at all the neat little prizes." I replied.

"Cool. Hey, can I talk to you? In private?" Carlos asked.

I looked at Evie. She seemed to be in a long conversation that didn't seem like it was going to end anytime soon.

"Sure." I said.

"Okay, follow me." Carlos said.

I followed Carlos to the back of the bleachers where no one was around. Our tent wasn't that far from it. But far enough from everything that was going on.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Sorry I haven't got back to you sooner about your dream. Like all of us, I was busy."

"That's okay. What have you got?" I asked.

"I found a good place to start looking for houses. However it won't be exactly like your dream. Homes near the forest are at least three hundred thousand. Do you have a planned budget?"

"No. I'm still working on that." I said.

Carlos handed me a small piece of paper with a website written on it.

"Go to this website. It shows all the homes for sale in Canada." he said.

"Thanks, Carlos." I said.

"You're welcome. See ya."

"See ya."

Carlos ran off and I returned back to the tent. The girls Evie was talking to were gone, and Evie was sitting at the table.

"Where did you go?" Evie asked.

"I, uh, had to use the restroom." I lied.

"Oh, alright. Next time, tell me, okay? Cause today, I'm in charge of you." Evie said.

"And I like that." I said as I went up close to Evie and started to give her many kisses.

Evie put her hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me back.

"Easy, girl." she said.

I smiled and sat in the chair next to her. Then, guess who showed up? Chad. We stared at each other for a few seconds before Evie broke the silence.

"Hello, Chad? How's your day?" Evie asked.

"Really, Evie? You have to ask him that?" I asked.

"I'm just being nice." Evie said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it's the polite thing to do. But that's right. You don't know how to be polite." said Chad.

"Oh I know how to be polite. I'm just not polite to people like you." I said.

"You better watch it, Mal."

"No, you better watch it."

"Come on, you two. Can't you both be cool for one day?" Evie asked.

"Him? Be cool?" I asked.

I then laughed real hard. That was the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. But of course, Evie didn't think so. She looked at me not happy with her arms folded.

"Mal, that's not nice." Evie said.

"Oh come on, Evie. This guy doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground." I said.

"Mal!" Evie exclaimed.

"Just try me, Mal." said Chad.

I stood up and made my right hand into a fist.

"You wanna try me?" I asked.

I think a flashback of me beating him played in his mind. Because he quickly took off.

Evie's POV

Apparently seeing Chad doesn't make Mal upset. She seems to have power over him. Which I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But deep inside, I feel it's a good thing. I don't want anyone making my girl upset. So I'll stick with my feelings. As a little more time passes by, all of the prizes had been won. Including the makeup kits, which I had been secretly hoping to have one. But oh well. However, I let Mal have what was left of the candy.

At six thirty, I was helping Lonnie and Jane finish setting things up for the dance. I sent Mal back to our dorm to get our dresses.

"I can't wait to see what your dress looks like." said Lonnie.

"Well, I didn't make a new dress for tonight." I said.

"Really? Why not?"

"I didn't have much time. Plus Mal and I weren't allowed to participate in the dance, so I didn't think one was needed."

"But Ben is allowing you both to join tonight, so what are you going to wear? Hopefully something different. Not that I don't like what you got on, it's just that..."

I smiled.

"I'm going to wear one of my best dresses that I've worn in the past. And so is Mal." I said.

"Oh, okay." said Lonnie.

We finished setting up the last of what was needed. Did a systems check on the audio and light equipment and everything looked good.

[_Tourney Field. 7:00 pm_]

Mal's POV

I returned back and Evie and I changed into our dresses and touched up our makeup. I didn't want to wear much, but Evie insisted I should. We arrived back at the field exactly at seven. Lonnie was in charge of the music. And she played some really nice songs. There were a lot of group dances. And Evie, Carlos, Jay and I danced many times together. About an hour and a half later, couples dancing began. Carlos danced with Jane, Jay danced with Lonnie, and I danced with Evie. Which you could've guess. Why did I say that? Anyway, as we were, Evie held me close to her, while holding my hands.

"When was the last time we did this?" Evie asked.

"I don't remember." I replied.

"Well, we should do this more often." she said.

"Agreed." I said.

Fireworks were then set off into the sky. As people clapped and cheered, Evie pulled me into a french kiss. I didn't know the meaning behind all of that. But I enjoyed the kiss.

"I love you, Mal." she said.

"I love you too, Evie." I said.

We danced for two more hours. Afterwards, people left and returned to their dorms. We bid goodnight to Jay, Carlos, Lonnie and Jane before the boys left with them. We stayed later than everyone else. It was eleven thirty before we knew it. But we didn't care. Fairy Godmother has allowed tonight to be an exception from curfew. Evie and I laid on the grass looking at the starry night sky.

"You're right, Evie. The night sky is beautiful." I said.

Evie moved herself onto me.

"What else is beautiful?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious? You are." I replied.

"I know. I just like to hear you say it."

"I know."

Evie rested her head just below mine and ran her fingers through my hair as I continued to look at the sky.

"Evie?"

"Hmm?"

I decided to ask her something regarding my dream. And I'm hoping after I ask her this, she won't come back and say something like "where is this coming from?" or something like that.

"Have you ever wondered what's outside of Auradon?"

"Outside of Auradon?" she asked.

"Yeah. We have this whole world. Have you ever wondered what's out there?" I asked.

"Well, no. I can't say I have. Why? Have you?"

I shrugged.

"Sometimes. I've been reading different things about this world. And how things work. And I can't say I didn't like what I read."

Evie laughed.

"You say that like you're not from Earth." she said.

I laughed.

"Yeah, I guess it did sound like that, didn't it?"

Evie sat up and looked down at me.

"Well, in that case you're going to like chemistry. But it's not going to be all about chemistry next year. I was told we're going to learn a little about other kinds of science too. Like biology and zoology." Evie said.

Speaking of that, I never did say. I decided to have chemistry as one of my classes for the next term. Because Evie kept telling me I should take it. So I am. But only in exchange for Evie taking art with me. Which she happily agreed.

"Sounds interesting." I said.

"It will be." Evie said.

Evie got off of me so I could sit up. Evie then sat next to me and laid her head on my shoulders. We looked at the lights surrounding Auradon Prep.

"Our second year has ended. And our third year will begin soon. It's amazing how fast time can pass. We've come a long way." Evie said.

"It sure is. But I'm glad we still have a long way to go." I said.

"Me too." said Evie.

We kissed and stood up.

"Shall we return back to our dorm?" she asked.

"Sure." I replied.

We grabbed our bags that had our clothes in it and began our walk back to our dorm.


	17. The Nightmare

_The Nightmare_

_[Mal and Evie's dorm room. 12:38 am]_

Mal's POV

I have to admit, the carnival was fun. And I guess it was nice that Ben let us have fun in it. Evie and I changed into our nightdresses and laid in her bed. Yeah, we've been sleeping in her bed a lot, but it feels nicer. We covered ourselves with her blanket, and held each other closely.

"I'm glad you had a great time today, Mal. I have to be honest, there were a couple times I was afraid you were going to leave." Evie said.

"You were?" I asked.

"Yeah. Especially when Chad showed up."

I took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Evie said.

"No, it's okay, Evie. I'm over it. I've been over it. I don't give a damn what he says about us anymore. He's not worth it." I said.

Evie kissed me.

"That's what I've wanted to hear." she said.

"You have?" I asked.

"You've been holding your emotions in so much lately. I'm glad to see you're finally letting them go. I'm proud of you, Mal."

Hearing those five words really hit me, but in a good way.

"Tell me that again." I said.

"What?"

"What you just said."

Evie smiled.

"I'm proud of you, Mal." she said.

She hugged me tightly and kissed me.

"I'm glad we're together, Mal. Because I can't think of anyone else to spend the rest of my life with than you."

"The rest of your life?" I asked.

"Yeah. I think it's time we start thinking about our future. We're not going to be here forever, you know." Evie said.

Oh, I know. And I've _been _thinking about our future lately. And it starts in Canada. I've got nearly everything planned out. But the main problem is how to get Evie onboard.

"Well, good night, Mal." Evie said as she laid on top of me.

"Good night, Evie. I love you." I said.

"I love you too, Mal."

We kissed and Evie turned off the light. Evie fell asleep before me and not much later, I fell asleep. That sounds like a good way to end the night, right? Well unfortunately, for me, it wasn't the end of my night. Because I had the most horrible, horrific nightmare I could remember to date. It's so bad, I don't want to talk about it. But like Evie said, it's never good to hold things in. So here we go.

It took place here at Auradon Prep, except it was not the typical sunny day. It was night time, but the moon wasn't out. It was dark, but there was light coming from somewhere, because I was able to see my way around, but I didn't see where the light was coming from. I stood at the front of Auradon Prep, looking at the building's entrance. It looked like it was in disrepair, but the grass or plants were not overgrown. I then looked down to my left at the ground and that's when the horror began. Lonnie was lying on the ground. I kneeled down to her and shook her as I said her name. She weakly looked at me.

"_Mal.._"

She was alive, but severely hurt. I got up and looked ahead. The doors to the school were opened. And it was weird, because I never recalled them being opened. I walked in. The place looked like it was torn apart. Completely trashed. I kept walking until my shoe hit something. I looked down and saw Jay.

"_Jay! Are you alright? Where's Carlos?_" I asked.

Jay was in the same condition.

"_No._" I said sadly.

I kept walking. I eventually found myself in this weird hallway. A hallway that doesn't really exist. I walked down it. Lights were flickering and trash was everywhere as well as broken windows. As I walked I frequently heard a low rumbling sound and saw others that were severely hurt. Ben, Audrey, Jane, even Chad among many others. At the end of the hallway, I saw a door. One that I've never seen before. But in front of the door was Carlos. I gasped and ran to him.

"_Carlos! Oh my god! What happened to you?!_"

"_Mal, you must…_"

"_What? What is it?!_"

Carlos was in the same condition as all the others.

"_Save Evie. She's...inside..._"

I carefully moved Carlos out of the way of the door before opening it. As I walked into this strange room I saw Evie.

"_Evie!_" I yelled as I ran over to her.

She was lying on a surgical bed and was looking horrible. She too was alive, but barely. She had her eyes closed and was slowly breathing. Her clothes had tears and blood stains on them as well as her skin had cuts and bruises.

"_Evie, what happened to you? What happened to the others?_" I frantically asked.

She didn't respond.

"_Evie, talk to me!_" I yelled.

Then I heard a crashing sound. I looked behind me, and walking out of the darkness were three horrific looking creatures. One taller than the other. The shortest looked about four feet tall, while the tallest looked to be about eight feet tall. These creatures, like I said, very horrific looking. Their bodies were black with no distinguishable features, but had skulls as heads with orange glowing eyes. To some, that may not look scary, but in a dream, everything feels real and can be very unpredictable. They blocked the door, so I couldn't get out. I wouldn't have tried anyway, not without Evie. But I was terrified.

"_Who are you? What have you done?_" I asked.

The shortest creature made a loud growling sound. The weird thing was, when that happened, I felt an excruciating pain in my stomach at the same time. They began walking towards me.

"_You stay back! Stay away from me!_" I yelled.

The creatures then disappeared. I sighed. But right when I turned around to look at Evie, the creatures stood right in front of me and all three basically yelled an extremely loud growling-screaming like sound right at my face which caused me to scream as I woke up. As I screamed, Evie woke up as well, startled by me. She touched me as she said my name. But I didn't know I was awake even though I was. I grabbed her and got on top of her as I had my hands around her neck.

"You will pay for what you've done to them!" I yelled as I began shaking her.

Evie desperately called my name. Begging me to stop. Still unaware I was awake, and what I was doing, I began to choke Evie. She tried to get my hands off her by trying to grab my arms. We struggled for less than a minute, until we both fell out of the bed which snapped me out of it. I shook my head and saw Evie coughing. I sat on the floor shocked at what I had done.

"Evie?"

She was able to get herself to stop coughing and laid on the floor breathing heavily. After a couple minutes, she was able to stabilize herself. She looked at me, with a confused and shocked expression. I looked at her with tears running down my cheeks. Without thinking, I quickly put on my shoes and jacket and ran out the door. As I ran down the hallway to the main entrance, I noticed everything was still the same as it was when we got back from the carnival. Which was only a few hours ago. I ran outside and out to a flower garden.

I cried as I was thinking about what just happened. What could've caused me to have such a dream? Things were going fine. As I sat on a bench and pondered, I heard rustling behind me. I turned around and saw Evie. She had a red mark around her neck. At the area I grabbed her. I was about to run away again, when she said my name.

"Mal, don't run. We need to talk." she said.

I didn't want to talk to her. I was ashamed, and scared for what I had done. Evie could tell I was. She walked over to me and hugged me.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me. You had a nightmare, didn't you?" she asked.

I was unable to speak. Evie then gave me a kiss.

"It's okay. You're alright. I'm alright." she said, trying to comfort me.

Evie's POV

Mal was scared. Like scared for her life. Whatever she woke up from, has definitely terrified her.

"Baby, please talk to me." I said.

I pulled Mal into a long hug and she started to cry very hard. I rubbed her back, while also giving her many kisses, trying to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." she said.

"It's okay. It's okay." I said.

Mal looked at me. I wiped some tears away from her face and gave her another kiss. She was starting to calm down. We hugged again for quite awhile until we returned to our room. When we got there, I took Mal's jacket off her and led her to my bed where we sat next to each other.

"Now, can you tell me what you dreamt?" I asked.

"Not really." Mal replied.

"Please, Mal?"

Mal sighed.

"Okay. Because it's not good to hold things in."

I nodded.

"Yes, baby." I said.

Mal moved closer to me and I held her hands.

"It took place here. And...all our friends were hurt." Mal said.

"Including me?" I asked.

"Yes. But you were barely alive though. Everyone was." Mal replied.

"What happened next?"

"There were these three, horrific looking creatures. I..I don't even know what they were or where they came from. But I think they were the ones who hurt our friends and almost killed you. They might have if I hadn't shown up when I did."

"What did they look like?"

Mal hesitated to answer.

"It's okay. You don't have to answer that." I said.

"Their bodies were all black, like one of those spiritual shadow people, except their heads was a skull with orange glowing eyes."

"Oh my god." I said, trying to imagine that.

"They made a horrible growling-like noise. A growl that didn't sound like any animal that growls. And when one of them did, I felt sharp pains in my stomach."

I held Mal close to me. I felt so bad for her.

"I don't understand what could've caused me to have that kind of dream." Mal said.

"Do you think it had any relation to the dream you told me about a while ago?" I asked.

Mal's POV

"What dream?" I asked.

"The dream you once told me about. Well, told me very little. You said it was about us, but no more after that." Evie said.

We know what she's talking about.

"No. It definitely has no relation to that. That was a good dream." I said.

"Are you sure? Cause you woke up with tears in your eyes." Evie said.

I shrugged.

"It was a good dream." I said.

"Tell me about it." Evie said.

"What?"

"Tell me about it."

"About what?"

Evie looked at me, a little annoyed about my question.

"Oh, that dream." I said.

"Yes."

I looked around the room. I really didn't want to tell her. But then, how would I get her to go to Canada with me? I couldn't just suggest it out of the blue.

"Please, Mal. You should tell me. You need to get your mind off your nightmare, and tell me this amazing dream about us. Was it an erotic dream about us?" Evie asked.

I smiled. She's trying to make me feel better.

"Tell me, baby. Please." Evie said as she played with my hair.

I sighed.

"_It's time. She does deserve to know. I've kept it a secret long enough._" I thought.

I looked at her and smiled. She smiled back.

"We were living in the most luxurious home I have ever seen. Somewhere far from here. I believe it was in a country called Canada." I said.

"Canada?" Evie asked.

"Yeah. We were living there. In a nice, luxurious home with lots of high end stuff. And it started with me walking into the most amazing kitchen. And you looked so beautiful. You were wearing a blue dress with a silver tiara. Similar to the dress you're wearing now. And you were making us a nice dinner."

"Wow. Tell me more." Evie said.

"I don't know how big the house was, or how many bedrooms it had, but it was one of those contemporary houses. And the house was sitting on a huge private lot with tall trees all around. Like we were living in a forest. High end appliances, fixtures, shiny flooring. It was amazing. Our bedroom was nice too. There was one wall that was blue. I think I did that for you. In fact, I somehow bought the house for us." I said.

"You did?"

"Yeah. I guess it was because I love you. And I would do anything I can to make you happy." I said.

Evie smiled and kissed me.

"So that's your amazing dream, huh? It sounds wonderful." she said.

"That's not all, there was a part two as well. I walked into our laundry room, which of course, was very nice. And you were in there, wearing only your blue nightdress folding clothes. You told me to take off my clothes so you could wash them."

"And what did you do?"

"Took them off. And you started giving kisses all over my body. After that, you led me to our bathroom and we made out in the bathtub."

Evie laughed.

"So it was an erotic dream?" she asked.

"The second one, yeah." I said.

Evie smiled and kissed me. She's been giving so many kisses lately. And I love each one of them. She held my hands and looked at me.

"How come you didn't tell me about this sooner?" she asked.

"I was afraid I might not be able to make it come true." I replied.

"But I can help you." Evie said.

"Really? You would want to live in Canada with me?"

"Well, I would have to look into it. See what that country would have to offer." she said.

"There is so much there. In fact, Carlos and I have met a few times and he helped me plan it out. I even have a plan on how to keep your business running in a place so far from here. Evie, there is so much for us there." I said.

"Coming from you, I don't doubt it. But nevertheless, I would love to help you achieve your dream." she said.

"You would?" I asked.

"Yes, Mal. I heard you say once: I'll be happy no matter where we are as long as I am with you. And I feel the same way. Now, let's try and get some more sleep. Because we're not going to get very much. Do you think you'll be alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. I think so." I replied.

"Okay. Afterschool, I will read about Canada online and perhaps even plan a trip over there."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was thrilled to hear what Evie had just said. I was feeling a lot better already.

"Thank you, Evie. I can't believe this." I said.

"Believe it, baby. Honestly, I've been secretly trying to plan out a future for us as well. But you have gotten so much farther than I have." she said.

"I love you, Evie."

"I love you too, Mal."

We kissed and laid back down. Evie held me closely to her and we both fell back asleep. I guess that nightmare happened for a reason. Everything does. While I hated that dream, I am kind of grateful for it. And now my dream is even closer to coming true than before.


	18. Summer Break Begins

_Summer Break Begins_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 7:38 am_]

Evie's POV

The last day of school went well. We didn't do any school work. Instead there was a small party in each of our classes. And a big party at lunch. It was great. Afterwards, some of the students returned back to their hometowns. Others, like us VKs, remained at the dorms. Cause, you know, we don't really have anywhere else.

Friday morning arrived, and I woke up to the sun's rays hitting my face. I yawned and stretched before looking at Mal. I gently kissed her on the forehead before getting up. I closed the curtain that allowed the sunlight to beam in. Trying to wake up, I sat at my sewing station. I saw my sketchbook and skimmed through it. I was proud of how far I have come. I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Mal make a noise. I turned to look at her.

"_Oh no._" I thought, thinking she's starting to have another bad dream.

But I was relieved to see that she continued to sleep peacefully. I got up and walked into the bathroom. I started to check myself out in the mirror. The red spot I got from the other night was nearly gone. No one knows about it since I cover it with some makeup. I took off my nightdress and examined my topless body. I then took off my underwear and really looked at my bare body. Sorry, that probably wasn't really necessary to say. I'm just really happy with how I look. I put my underwear and nightdress back on and brushed my hair.

Anyway, what I wasn't happy with is how long I've made Mal have to wait. There have been numerous times of opportunities where we could've taken things to the next level. Especially when I said we should when we made out in the detention room, but we never did. Well, that's going to change. I made Mal that promise, and I intend to keep it.

I left the bathroom and walked over to Mal. I reached out to touch her, but stopped myself. I wasn't sure if I should wake her, or let her sleep. I figured it was best if I let her sleep. I looked at the clock and saw it was almost eight. By the time I get all ready, the cafeteria will be open. So I picked out what I felt like wearing that day, applied my makeup, with some blue mascara. And used a hair iron to make my hair perfectly straight all around instead of having some curls. And last, it's been a little while since I wore one, usually it's been just my braids, but I put on a beautiful gold tiara. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled.

"Perfect." I said.

I spun around a couple of times to make sure I was. A blue lace shirt with a golden zipper down the middle. The zipper isn't real, just for looks. The sleeves were short but were also lace. I wore a blue tank top underneath that was a little visible underneath the lace shirt. And a black skirt that went down to my knees. Satisfied, I went to the side of the bed and put on my black heel boots and I was then ready for the day. A day of what? The term is over, and summer break has begun. What should Mal and I do? I'll have to think on that. I grabbed my phone and quietly left the room. When I arrived at the cafeteria, I was the second one there. Lonnie was the first. However, there was no food around. Strange, because it's after eight. Maybe it's not ready yet.

"Good morning, Lonnie!" I greeted.

"Hi, good morning, Evie! Wow, you look great! How are you?" asked Lonnie.

"Thank you. So do you. I am good. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm also good."

"Well that's good."

"Yeah. So, is today a special day?" Lonnie asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your outfit, and your hair is different from what you normally wear." she said.

"Oh! Well, no. No special day. I just decided to change things up a little." I said.

"Is Mal still sleeping?"

"Yeah."

"Ooh, she's going to fall in love with you all over again."

I laughed.

"Oh, come on. I didn't dramatically changed my look." I said.

"I guess it's because I haven't seen you wear anything like that in a long time."

"Yeah, perhaps."

Just then, the food was brought out by the staff. Guess they fell a little behind.

"Sorry about the wait. We're flat out like a lizard drinking." said a worker.

"Oh, that's okay." I said.

A little surprised by the idiom that was used.

"Still recovering from the carnival and yesterday?" asked Lonnie.

"Like you wouldn't believe. Well, enjoy."

After the staff finished setting up the buffet, they left. Lonnie and I talked a little more before getting our food and leaving.

I returned to the dorm room and placed the plates of food on the table along with the utensils and napkins. I looked at Mal. She was still asleep. I smiled as I walked over to the bed and kneeled to her. I gently shook her to wake her up.

"Mal, wake up, baby." I said.

Mal opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Good morning, Mal." I said.

She softly smiled.

"Good morning." she said quietly.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Not bad." she replied.

"Good. Did you sleep okay? Have you had any more nightmares?" I asked.

"No. None at all." Mal replied.

"Okay. If you ever do, be sure to tell me, okay?"

"I will." Mal said.

She slowly sat up and looked at me.

"Wow, Evie. Did you get all dressed up for me?" Mal asked.

I looked at myself and felt a little embarrassed.

"How come I'm being asked that? All I did was straightened my hair and put a tiara on. That's it. Sure I'm wearing something a little different today, but it's nothing major." I said.

"I guess it's because I haven't seen you wear anything like that in a long time."

I softly laughed.

"Lonnie said the same thing." I said.

"Well, you look beautiful, Evie." Mal said.

"Thank you. Do I look just as beautiful as I did in your dreams?" I asked.

Mal smiled.

"Yeah. You do."

We kissed and Mal got up and went to the bathroom. I watched Mal walk into the bathroom and close the door. I then sat at the side of the bed and started to think. What should we do today? Well first off, Mal does look attractive in her nightdress. Seeing her change into it did kind of turn me on. As I know it probably turned Mal on watching me. I started to get deeper into my thoughts. Should we take our relationship to the next level or maybe even the last level? I did tell Mal that after the final days of school and the carnival, we would. And it's after that.

"Oh, you got my favorites!" Mal exclaimed as she walked over to our dining table.

I watched Mal sit at the table and started eating. But she stopped and looked at me.

"Aren't you going to join me?" she asked.

I smiled and nodded. I sat across from her and we ate our breakfast together. I found myself staring at Mal a couple of times. As we ate, I made my decision. Tonight is the night. Tonight is the night I'm going to give Mal the best night she's ever had. I need to plan this out quick. I can start by making it a date tonight. We'll start with a full course dinner. Romantic candlelit dinner. Then we'll start kissing and continue on from there. Okay good. But what to do until then?

"Are you alright, Evie?" Mal asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. Just thinking about what we should do today." I said.

"Oh. Well, whatever you want." Mal said.

"Is there anything you would like to do?" I asked.

Mal shook her head.

"No. Can't think of anything." she replied.

I was expecting her to smirk and say "you", but that didn't happen. I probably led her to believe that won't happen anytime soon. Well, that will change. I guess I did get dressed up for a reason and I didn't even realize it.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Mal asked.

"Yes, baby. I'm good. A little tired, but good." I said.

I lied about the tired part. But inside my mind I was thinking about how to go on about this. If I'm going to make a romantic dinner set, I need to get Mal away for a little bit so it can be a surprise. But how? After we finished our breakfast, Mal went into the bathroom to change and get ready. I continued to think. Carlos. Yes! Mal has hung out with Carlos while I was with Audrey going over her dress order. I could ask Carlos to keep Mal busy. Hopefully he's not busy himself. I quickly grabbed my phone and texted him.

"_Hey Carlos. Are you going to be busy later in the afternoon today?_"

"_No. Why?_" he texted back.

"_I need you to do a favor for me. Can you keep Mal occupied while I do something?_"

I know I'm probably asking a tall order. But it's the only way this can work.

"_Sure. But how come?_" Carlos asked.

"_I'm planning a date tonight in our dorm room. And I need Mal away so I can get things ready and make it a surprise. Please Carlos?_"

"_Sure, Evie. I'll be happy to._"

"_Thanks Carlos. I owe you one. I'll let you know when I'm ready._"

"_Sounds good._"

Okay, good. That's planned out. And I figured out what I need to do for tonight. For the remainder of the day, we took it easy. Sat around, doing our own little things. I was at my work desk, making little bits of jewelry pieces and accessories. Mal was in her bed, drawing in her sketchbook. I submitted our dinner order through a restaurant's website that was in the city and had it scheduled to be ready by tonight. Four o'clock later arrived and it was about time for me to begin setting things up. I grabbed my phone and texted Carlos.

"_I'm ready now. Can you come to our room?_"

While I was waiting for his reply, I realized something. I can't suggest Mal to go with Carlos, otherwise Mal will know something is up. Carlos will have to convince Mal to go with him.

"_On my way._" Carlos texted.

"_Okay. But before you arrive. I need you to convince Mal to come with you. I can't tell her to go with you otherwise she'll be suspicious._"

"_Okay, I understand. But what do I say?_"

"_Say that you bought a new video game and she has to try it. Or that you want her to play a game of tourney with you, or you just want to hang out. Something like that._"

"_Okay, got it._"

I looked at Mal. She was taking a nap. It looked like she fell asleep in the middle of her drawing. A few minutes later, a knock was at our door. Mal awoke and looked up curiously.

"Were you expecting someone?" she asked.

"No, not at all." I lied.

I walked over to the door.

"_Please let this work._" I thought.

I opened the door and saw Carlos.

"Hey, it's Carlos! Hi, Carlos." I said.

"Hi, Evie. Are you girls busy right now?" Carlos asked.

"No, not at all. What's up?" I asked.

"I was wondering if Mal can hang out with me right now."

I looked at Mal. I like how Carlos is playing this.

"Um, sure." Mal said.

Seems like she's buying it. Mal put her shoes on, grabbed her phone and jacket and walked over to us.

"I did make that promise that I would hang out with you more often. But is alright if I go, Evie?" Mal asked.

"Yes! Go, baby. Have a good time." I said.

We kissed and Mal walked out of the room.

"_Thank you._" I mouthed to Carlos.

Carlos smiled and nodded. I watched the two walked down the hallway before going back into the room and closing the door. I rested myself on the door while taking a couple deep breaths. Thank goodness that worked. Because Mal isn't always easy to trick. I waited an hour before going to the city. By the time I get there, my order will be ready. I carefully snuck out of the dorm building and the area surrounding it, because I didn't know what Carlos had planned for Mal, whether they were inside or outside.

After I arrived in the city, I went to a homegoods shop and bought a stainless steel colored cloche, a red table cloth, some candles, and a nightlight. The nightlight will have a special purpose later. After that, I picked up the dinner I ordered and returned back to the dorm. It went easier than I thought. I put the stuff on my bed and moved our dining table and chairs to the center of the room. As I began to close the curtains, I noticed it was sunset. By the time I'm all ready, it will be completely dark.

I put the red table cloth over the table and grabbed the bag that had the ordered food. I opened the boxes that were in the bag and smelled the food. Prime rib, mashed potatoes and biscuits. How good does that sound? And for drinks, I got us a new kind of soda I saw at the store. I tried it and like it. I'm sure Mal will like it as well. I quickly washed out the cloche, cause you never know. And place all the food on the plate of the cloche. I got a big sized cloche so it all fits. I place the cover over it, lit the candles and place them on both sides of the cloche and the table was complete. I had turned on a small lamp so there was a little more light in the room. I looked at myself and decided I should wear something different. But didn't know what.

Then an idea came to my mind. Mal told me that in her dreams about the house, I was wearing my blue nightdress and a silver tiara. To really get her in the mood for tonight, that is exactly what I'll wear. So I grabbed my nightdress, and changed into it. I didn't wear a bra nor nothing on my feet since I didn't in her dreams. I touched up my makeup and put on a silver tiara. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. Everything was all ready. And I'm impressed on how quickly I got it done too. I grabbed my phone and texted Carlos and told him I was ready. Which was good timing. Because Mal was telling Carlos that she should probably go, but Carlos was able to keep Mal with him for a little longer until now.

"_Mal is on her way over._" Carlos texted.

"_Thank you Carlos._" I texted back.

"_You're welcome, Evie. I hope you two have a good time tonight._"

"_Oh we will._"

Mal was with Carlos and in his dorm room the entire time. It takes a couple minutes to walk from the boys side of the building to the girls. I stood in front of the table with my hands behind my back. Basically posing for Mal when she walks in. After a couple minutes, I heard footsteps approaching the door and saw the door handle turn.

"_Okay, Mal's here._" I thought.

And sure enough, she was.


	19. Evie's Indebtedness To Mal

_Evie's Indebtedness To Mal_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 7:24 pm._]

Mal's POV

I walked in our dorm room and closed the door. I took my jacket off and hung it on a coat rack that was near the door.

"Hi, Mal. Welcome home."

I stopped in my tracks after hearing that. I looked straight ahead and saw Evie standing in front of our dining table which was moved to the center of the room. However, Evie was the main focal point. She looked exactly like she did in my dreams. Barefoot, blue dress, silver tiara. I stood there, speechless. I didn't know how to react.

"Whoa, Evie." I said after a moment of silence.

Evie smiled and walked over to me. She liked how I was completely bewildered.

"How are you, baby?" she asked.

"I'm good. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm good. Are you hungry?"

"I am."

"Good. Me too. Come, baby." Evie said.

She grabbed my hands and walked me over to the table. I saw the red tablecloth, the candles, and the cloche along with some plates, utensils and napkins. All arranged neatly.

"What's all this?" I asked.

"Dinner." Evie replied.

"Well I know that. But, why is it set up like this?" I asked.

"Because tonight is a special night." Evie said.

"Special? But it's not our anniversary yet." I said.

"I know. But this is something different. Let's eat first, and I'll explain after." Evie said.

"Okay." I said.

I didn't know what this was about. How is tonight special? Was it when we first became friends? Or when we first met? I don't even remember when that happened. But I put that thought aside and sat at the table. Evie lifted the lid of the cloche to reveal our dinner.

"Whoa, Evie. Did you make all this?" I asked.

"Sadly, no. I didn't have time to. I ordered all this, instead." Evie replied.

Evie loaded my plate with a piece of the prime rib, along with some mashed potatoes and a biscuit. Evie loaded her plate with the same thing. After we ate, Evie cleaned things up a bit and we sat at the side of her bed.

"So, what did you think of that?" Evie asked.

"It was very good, Evie. Thank you." I replied.

"You're very welcome, Mal."

"But I still don't understand. Why did you do this? How is tonight a special night?" I asked.

Evie grabbed my hands and held them.

"I'm ready, Mal. I'm ready to take the next step in our relationship. I'm ready for us to have sex."

I gasped. I did not expect to hear that.

"Are-are you sure, Evie? Are you sure you're ready?" I asked.

"I am, Mal. I am." Evie replied.

She got up and blew out the candles. She then turned on a nightlight that was plugged in an outlet not far from her bed, and turned off all the other lights. The nightlight wasn't very bright, but bright enough to illuminate the bed, us and its surrounding areas. The rest of the room was completely dark. Exactly how Evie wanted it. Evie returned back to me and stood in front of me.

Evie's POV

I stood in front of Mal. Mal looked at me with a confused expression.

"I know how much you've been wanting me. And now, you're finally going to get me." I said.

I smiled and slid out of my nightdress and let it fall to the floor. The only thing I was wearing underneath was a pair of blue panties. Mal gasped.

"Whoa, Evie." she said.

"'Whoa, Evie.' That's the third time you've said that. Well, you just wait one second. I'll show you something that'll really make you say 'Whoa, Evie.'"

I think Mal's heart was racing at that time. Cause she knew what I was going to do next. I bent down and slowly pulled my panties down until they hit the floor. I stood upwards and had my hands on my hips, posing my bare body for Mal.

Mal took many breaths. Unable to speak, but I knew she was astonished by me.

"Wh-" Mal said, stuttering afterwards.

I leaned in close to Mal.

"Go on, baby. Say it." I whispered.

"Whoa, Evie." she said quietly.

I laughed and helped Mal take her clothes off until she was down to her pants. I unbuttoned them and pulled them off her. Her panties were black and I liked how they looked on her. I looked at Mal, who nodded at me, telling me to go ahead. I slowly slid them off her and found them feeling a little damp. I looked back up at Mal. I could tell she felt a little embarrassed. I smiled and tossed the panties aside and sat up in the bed. Mal sat up as well. We looked at each other's bare bodies for a moment, taking in each other's beauty. But mostly looking at each others, well, you know.

"Evie, you truly are the most beautiful girl ever." Mal said.

"Oh, come on. This time, I can't take all the credit. I'm thinking you're the most beautiful girl ever." I said.

"I guess we're both very beautiful."

"Yes. We sure are."

I decided now's the time to start. We were both feeling very aroused, and I made the first move. I pinned Mal down on the bed and began to give her many kisses while rubbing her down there. Mal moaned after every other kiss. Something I don't believe I ever heard her do before. And hearing her do that really got me going.

"Oh, Evie!" Mal exclaimed as I went faster on her.

"Yes, baby. You're loving this, aren't you?" I asked.

"Mmhmm." was all she could say.

We were in our own little zone now. And nothing was going to stop me from pleasing my girl. I owe it so much to her. And I'm glad I'm finally doing it. For what may have been the next twenty minutes, I continued to please Mal by kissing her, rubbing her, and I'll just say it, fingering her. I know Mal was probably in some pain, and I tried my best not to hurt her too much. After observing Mal on how well she was handling me, I decided to go all in.

"Oh, E!" Mal exclaimed.

"Yes. You feel me, M?" I asked.

"Yes!"

I stopped for a minute so Mal could catch her breath. I rubbed her thighs and admired her legs. I also gave her small kisses on her belly and chest while caressing them at the same time.

"Are you feeling okay? I'm not hurting you too much, am I?" I asked.

"No, Evie. I'm great. You're great. Please, keep going." Mal replied.

I kissed her on the lips and resumed. It wasn't long after that when Mal reached her climax. My finger was still in her when she came. After a perfect ending, I licked the liquids that came from Mal off my fingers.

"Oh, you're good, girl." I said.

I laid down and held Mal in my arms, with her back on me. She breathed heavily and no doubt was still in a little pain, but I knew she enjoyed it.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Good. No. More than good. I feel...amazing." she replied.

I kissed Mal on the cheek after she looked up at me.

"Evie, you really did all this for me?." she asked.

I smiled and kissed her.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long, M. You didn't deserve that." I said.

"It's okay, E. You certainly made it worthwhile. Therefore, I forgive you."

Mal turned herself around and rested her head on my chest, while also having her arms around me.

"I love you so much, Evie." she said.

"And I love you so much too, Mal. Always and always." I said.

I covered us with the blanket and rubbed Mal's back for a little bit which made her fall asleep. She never did pleasure me that night. But that's okay. Mal allowing me to please her is all I wanted that night. Like I said, I owed it to her.


	20. The Mountain

_The Mountain_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 10:25 am_]

Evie's POV

The next morning, I woke up to Mal still laying on me. Last night really tired her out. But I'm glad it happened. I mean, I'm glad I did what I did with her, but I'm also glad she got tired out and slept peacefully. Ever since her nightmare, I've worried about her having another one.

"Mal, wake up, baby." I said as I rubbed her back.

Mal opened her eyes and looked up at me.

"Hi. Good morning." I said.

"Good morning." Mal said.

Mal yawned and stretched before getting off of me and laid closely next to me. She peeked under the blanket and saw that we were both still naked.

"Wow. I can't believe last night happened." she said.

"Yeah? Well, I'm glad you had a great time." I said.

"I did. But, I never did do you." she said.

"That's alright, Mal. All I wanted was to please you. And I did."

"But it's only right if I-"

"Mal, we're going to be doing it again. So don't worry about it. You'll get your chance to please your princess." I said.

Mal smiled.

"Thanks, Evie." she said.

"You're welcome, baby."

We kissed a couple of times before I got out of bed. Mal sat up and admired my body. I blushed a little as she continued to look at me.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" I asked as I touched my hair.

Mal got up and hugged me.

"Because, I'm trying to take in all your beauty. You're so desirable." she said as she rubbed my back.

I softly laughed and rubbed her back as well.

"Well, we should probably clean ourselves up." I said.

"Yeah, we probably should." she said.

We let go from each other and I started to walk to the bathroom. But then I stopped halfway there and turned to Mal.

"Would you like to join me?" I asked.

"In the shower?" Mal asked.

"Yes."

I loved the look on Mal's face.

"I'd love to." she said.

I began to walk to the bathroom. But before we went inside, I walked over to the door of our room and made sure it was locked. We always lock it anyway, but I felt I needed to double check. After checking and feeling fine, Mal and I walked into the bathroom and I closed the door behind us. I then started the shower and set the water to the right temperature. After it was set, I signaled Mal to get in. After we were both in, I closed the shower curtain and we both hugged as the water was spraying on us. It felt so relaxing.

"What was that one part in your other dream? We had sex in the bathtub?" I asked.

"Yeah." she replied.

I smirked. Which was a nice sight to Mal since I rarely do that.

"We should try that sometime." I said.

"Yes, yes we should." she said.

We took turns putting soap on each others body. And it felt really nice. Especially the way Mal was putting soap on me. I just simply put soap on her. But Mal was not only doing that to me, but also touching me in the, well, down there, at the same time. I see what she's doing though. She wants to please me because I pleased her last night. And I loved it. Anyway, we spent about half an hour in the shower, which we shouldn't have, but we didn't care. Afterwards, we dried ourselves off, applied some makeup and stuff, brushed our hair, and lastly got dressed.

Mal's POV

"Well, how was that for a start to your morning?" Evie asked.

"Very nice. I wouldn't mind doing this every morning." I replied.

"Good. Me too." Evie said.

We kissed a few times before heading out of the bathroom. My stomach growled a little.

"I hear you, Mal. Let's get our shoes on and get some breakfast." Evie said as she sat on the side of her bed.

"But, Evie, it's almost noon. There's not going to be anything there." I said.

"Oh yeah." Evie said.

"And since school is out, there's not going to be lunch." I said.

"Yeah, I forgot all about that." Evie said.

I sat next to Evie and thought. The only place we can get food right now is in the city. Which gave me an idea. Remember back when I planned on taking Evie to the mountain and was going to ask her how she likes it? Well, since Evie now knows about my dream, there's no sense in that. But we can still go there.

"Evie?"

"Yes, Mal?"

"I know what we should do today." I said.

"What's that?"

"Let's go to the mountain." I said

"The mountain? Why there?" Evie asked.

"Because, well, a few weeks ago, I had planned on taking you to the mountain. To the forest there, to see how well you would like it. And if you did, I thought that you might be alright living where I dreamt us to be."

Evie smiled and patted me on the shoulders.

"I see, baby. Well in that case, let's go." she said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah! We'll make a day of it. We'll go to the city to have a snack, then we'll buy more food and pack it and we'll have a meal there. It'll be great." she said.

Nice. I like the sound of this. But there was one thing I was over looking.

"What's wrong?" Evie asked.

"How are we going to get there?" I asked.

"Get there?" Evie asked.

"Yeah, to the mountain. It's a long way from here. Too long for a walk." I said.

Evie thought for a moment, then came up with a solution.

"A scooter. Yes, we'll rent one of those electric scooters for the day." she said.

"But we'll have to pay for that." I said.

Evie got up and walked over to her desk and opened a drawer. She took out a red box and opened it. Inside was the money she had received from the dresses she made. But I've never seen it until now. I walked over to Evie and gasped as I saw how much Evie had.

"Oh my god, Evie. How much do you have?" I asked.

"Over two thousand." she replied.

"Wow." I said.

"I have all this, and for some time I didn't know what to do with all this. But I have a reason now." she said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Our future house." she said.

After hearing that, I hugged Evie tightly.

"Thank you, Evie." I said.

"Sure thing, baby. You know, after going to that website Carlos told you about, I found that homes are not that cheap. Especially where you would like to be."

"Yeah, Carlos told me that."

"But, if I save enough for a big down payment, I think our mortgage would be affordable. The more you put down, the less you would need to pay off."

Evie took a hundred and fifty dollars from the box and put the box away and closed the drawer.

"This will be more than enough for today. Here, you hold onto it for me." Evie said as she handed me the cash.

"Okay, cool." I said as I took it.

We put our shoes on, put on our jackets and grabbed our phones. Like we'll need them. There's hardly going to be any reception on the mountain. But that's just how we all are these days. I put the cash in a zipper pocket on my jacket and we headed off.

After we arrived at the city, we went to a small shop and bought some food. We also bought a tote bag to hold the food in. The tote bag was blue with a picture of a red salmon fish on it. I asked Evie why that one and she told me she loved the blue and thought the salmon fish was cute. Okay, whatever. We rented our scooter from another shop and were on our way. All that ended up costing us ninety dollars. But it was worth it. Evie had me drive us there. I thought nothing of it, but the reason why she wanted me to drive was so she can give me kisses on my neck. It was kind of hard to ignore her kisses. But we arrived at the mountain about forty minutes later.

[_The Mountain. 1:45 pm_]

Mal's POV

After traveling eight miles up the mountain, we saw a perfect spot to stop at. A small campground area that had a view of the ocean. It was cold, but the smell of pine trees was in the air and it was nice.

"This is perfect. Just look at this beautiful view." Evie said as she put the tote bag on a picnic table.

"It is nice." I said.

"So, are you hungry?" Evie asked.

"I am actually." I replied.

"Me too. Let's eat."

I walked over to the table and sat down and watched Evie as she took the food out of the tote bag. A turkey and cheese submarine sandwich, two small bottles of soda and two small bags of chips was what she got. We sat across from each other at the table and occasionally smiled at each other as we ate.

"What?" Evie asked.

"I don't know. This is nice though." I said.

"It is." Evie said.

After we ate, we decided to go for a walk. We held hands as we walked along a trail. As we were, I started thinking a little more about my dream.

"I might as well ask. Since I was planning to anyway." I said.

"What's that?" Evie asked.

"How would you feel about living in a setting like this?" I asked.

"Well, I do like forests. It's so peaceful and very pretty. So, I wouldn't mind." Evie replied.

"Okay."

"How do you feel about them?"

"I like it. I feel the same way. It's peaceful and pretty. I think we would be happy." I said.

"I think so too. But may I ask, why Canada?" Evie asked.

That is a very good question. I truly do not know.

"I don't know. When I saw pictures online, I kinda...fell in love with it." I said.

"And to think you used to hate nice things." Evie said.

I laughed.

"Yeah. I can't believe it. But I guess it's who I am now." I said.

"And I love you for who you are." Evie said.

She kissed my hand and we continued on our walk. We walked along another trail that had a better view of the ocean. We saw many birds and butterflies, as well as a couple deer. An hour later, Evie and I were still on the same trail. We stopped and rested on some grass while enjoying the relaxing sounds and view of a small creek. Evie took out her phone and snapped a photo of me by the creek.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"The scrapbook." she replied.

"Oh, yeah. But why?" I asked.

"Because, when we're older we can look back at the great memories we had here."

I shrugged. It's not something I would do, but I understand why. It's good that Evie thinks of these kind of things, because who knows? Sometime in the future I may want to revisit this time, but I can't really because I don't have anything to reflect back on.

"You're a wonderful person, Evie." I said.

Evie smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

"So are you." she said.

Evie took another photo of me, then I took some photos of her. After a few more minutes of looking at the creek, we decided to walk back to the beginning of the trail and walk along another one. As we were walking back, we were admiring the ocean view again. However, when we got close to the end of the trail, I didn't see that a big rock was in my way. Evie tried to warn me, but it was too late. My foot got caught on the rock and I tripped and fell over the rock. Evie rushed to my aid, desperately wondering if I'm okay. I laid on the ground and felt pain in my left hand and knee. As I fell, I fell to the right, since the rock was on the left side of the trail. I was lucky, next to the left side of the rock was a dirt hill that had a bunch more rocks.

"Are you okay, Mal?" Evie asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I replied.

I groaned and looked at the palm of my left hand and saw many small cuts and most of them were bleeding a little. I looked down at my knee and saw parts of my pants in the area was ripped and I was able to see some small cuts and blood there as well.

"Oh, baby. I don't have anything I can give you." Evie said.

"It's okay, Evie. I'll be alright." I said.

"Okay. But we'll need to treat it right away."

"Are you saying that we should leave now?" I asked.

"Well, you don't need to get an infection. I'll drive us back." Evie replied.

I sighed. Evie is right. Well, so much for our trip to the mountain. Evie knew what I was thinking. She tried to comfort me by rubbing my shoulders.

"I'm sorry, baby. But it's alright. We had a good time here today. We'll come back again. I promise." she said.

"Okay, Evie. But let me sit here for a little bit. Until I feel I can walk." I said.

"That's alright." Evie said.

Evie sat on the ground next to me and rested her head on my right shoulder while holding my right hand. I looked out at the ocean until something caught my eye on the hill down below. Something that was sparkling in the sunlight.

"Hey, Evie, what's that?" I asked as I pointed it out to her.

Evie noticed it as well.

"I don't know." she said.

"Go get it." I said.

"Okay."

Evie walked back down and grabbed the shining object. She returned back and showed it to me.

"It's some kind of rock. But I've never seen one like this before." Evie said as she handed it to me.

If it was some kind of exotic rock, Evie would know. But it wasn't. This rock was purple in color, and I immediately gained interest in it.

"Wow, it's pretty." I said.

"It sure is. And it's your color. It's like it was made for you." Evie said.

If only Evie knew she was right. Because that rock _was made for me._ I should have never asked Evie to get it. Because this rock was created by my mother. When the Isle's barrier was temporarily broken, my mother placed this rock here as a backup plan in case her conquering didn't work out at Ben's coronation. Which we know it didn't. This rock was meant to be found by me.

And later it's powers will have a bad effect on me. I know, as if enough hasn't happened to me already. However, as strange as this sounds, after the effects of the rock dissipates on me, it helps me finally achieve my dream. Not really in the best way. But shortly after the new school year, it happens.

Anyway, Evie took the rock and put it in her tote bag. After telling her that I felt I can walk again, she helped me up to my feet. I felt better after sitting down and was able to walk back down the trail without any trouble. Evie drove us down the mountain and back into the city. We returned the scooter and walked back to our dorm room. Evie treated my hand wound first. After she washed it, which made it sting like hell, she put some antibiotic on it and bandage it up. She then had me take my pants off so she can treat the cuts on my knee. But we discovered there were more cuts along my leg. Evie cleaned and treated each one of them anyway. She had me wear a pair of one of her short shorts for the remainder of the day and told me she thinks I can wear long pants again the next day.

"Thank you, Evie. I never tell you how much I appreciate you." I said.

"No, you do. Just not in so many words." Evie said.

"Well, thank you anyway." I said.

"You're very welcome, baby." she said.

We walked over to Evie's bed and sat at the edge of it. We sat in silence until I realized something.

"Hey, Evie?"

"Yeah?"

"About last night."

"What about it?"

"Did you plan all that?"

Evie laughed.

"You finally figured it out? I was wondering how long it was going to take you." Evie said.

"I just now thought of it." I said.

"Well, yeah. I did plan it all. I started thinking about it when we were eating breakfast. I wanted it to be a surprise. So after breakfast, I texted Carlos and asked him if he could keep you occupied while I went to the city to get the food and stuff and complete the surprise." she said.

"So when Carlos came to the door, it was all an act?"

"Yeah, but I knew it would be alright. He was the best person to ask, and the best to keep you busy. Heck, I might ask him to babysit you once in a while."

"Funny." I said.

Evie laughed a little more.

"So what did you two do?" she asked.

"Talked, played some video games. Mostly games. He got me into this one game where I couldn't stop playing it." I said.

"Was Jay there?"

"No, he was with Lonnie somewhere. It was just Carlos and myself. But I did have a good time."

"Well, I'm glad you did. See, you're alright with it. And you got the best night you've had in a long time." Evie said.

"You got that right." I said.

We laid in her bed and cuddled while enjoying each others company. Even though our trip came to a quick end, I did enjoy it. And I'm glad Evie did as well.


	21. Time With Family

_Time With Family_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 7:23 pm_]

Mal's POV

We fell asleep for a little while. After we woke up, we saw it was dark outside. Feeling hungry, we went to the cafeteria and got dinner just in time before they closed. We returned after, ate our dinner and change into our nightdresses. Watching Evie change into hers had gotten me quite aroused. I desperately wanted to please Evie and decided that now was the time. I asked Evie if we could have sex. She was surprised by the request, especially on how I asked, but she happily said okay. We took our nightdresses off, laid in her bed and began to feel each other's bodies. Evie went to make the first move, but I stopped her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I want to do you, Evie. It's your turn to have the best night." I replied.

I loved the look in Evie's eyes. I don't know how to explain it, but something in those brown eyes of hers made her look very cute. A word I don't often use, but if you noticed, Evie has changed me in the best of ways. She obviously knew what I was thinking about. She slid her panties off and showed off her body. I took mine off and our lips touched numerous times. After giving Evie a lot of kisses, I had her lie down, while I sat up and touched both her thighs and admired her legs. As I was feeling her thighs, I noticed something down between them.

"Evie, are you...wet?" I asked.

Evie laughed and looked at me.

"Hey, speak for yourself. I see a little spot right in front of you." Evie said.

I looked down at the bed and nervously laughed.

"Don't be ashamed, Mal. It means we're really turned on by each other. Which makes sex more enjoyable."

"You know, we should wash these sheets soon." I said.

"A later time. Now make me feel good." Evie said.

"Yes, my princess." I said.

I looked between Evie's legs and liked what I was seeing. Evie made the cutest moan I've ever heard as I stuck my finger in her. And she continued to moan as I did her.

"You're so beautiful, E." I said.

"So are you, M." she said.

As I was pleasuring her, I carefully made sure I wasn't hurting her. She can more delicate than I am.

"Let me know if I'm hurting you too much." I said.

Evie smiled and nodded. Evie never showed any signs that I was hurting her. It made me feel good that I can make her feel good. Not that I haven't already, but this was special. A few minutes passed and Evie reached out to me, trying to feel me. But I backed a little farther away from her. I was teasing her, and I knew she didn't like that, but I sure did. I smirked at her and continued on.

"Mal, please. I want to feel you." she said.

"What? Don't tell me you're getting close already." I said.

Evie shrugged. But she was. She didn't want to admit it, but she was. I'm so pretty to her, and I've gotten her so aroused. Evie screamed a couple of times. Her screams had gotten me even more aroused than I thought was possible. I touched myself a little bit as I continued on Evie.

"Oh, Mal! Mal, please! Please let me feel you!" she said after I went faster.

I rolled my eyes and shifted my body next to her. Evie caressed my thighs and belly and kissed them before she hit her climax. As she did, I had my finger still in her as she came. Since Evie tasted me, I decided to do the same. And boy, did I like it.

"You're delicious, Evie." I said.

Evie panted and smiled. She couldn't say a word for she was out of breath. I held her in my arms as she was trying to relax.

"Thank you, baby. You sure you've never been with another girl?" Evie asked.

"No, why?" I asked.

"Because you certainly know how to make one feel good." she said.

"Well, I've learned from the best." I said.

"You sure have, and this was wonderful."

We continued to hold each other closely while occasionally kissing.

"You know what we should do the next time we do this?" I asked.

"What's that?" Evie asked.

"We should be on top of one another and do each other."

Evie licked the right side of her lips. I laughed.

"Is that your reply?" I asked.

"Yeah. It sounds nice." she said.

I had Evie lay on top of me. And she really laid on me. Her head was next to mine, with her arms around me. I covered us with the blanket and kissed her on the cheek. We began to feel very tired.

"What should we do tomorrow?" I asked.

"I don't know. I guess we'll figure it out tomorrow." Evie replied.

I laughed at Evie's response.

"I love you, Evie."

"I love you too, Mal."

We continued to cuddle until we fell asleep again.

Evie's POV

I slept until somewhere between nine and ten in the morning. My phone's ringtone woke me up. I got up out of bed and walked over to my desk where my phone was connected to the charger. I saw it was Jay calling me. I also saw that I had three unread texts from him.

"Hello?" I answered.

"_Hi, Evie. Is everything okay?_"

"Yeah. Just now waking up. Sorry, I didn't know that you texted me." I said.

"_That's okay. Hey, would you and Mal like to hang out with me and Carlos later?_"

"Um, sure. Yeah. We would." I said, yawning heavily after.

"_Okay, I'll let you be now. Love you, Evie._"

"Love you too, Jay."

I hung up and laid back down. As I did, Mal woke up and held my hand.

"Good morning." she said.

I smiled and we kissed.

"Good morning, Mal. Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"I did. Did you?"

"I always do when I'm with you." I said.

"So you always sleep good. Because we're always together at night."

"Yeah. Pretty much."

Mal smiled and sat on me. My hands went to her breasts as Mal's went to mine. We began to massage each others. And it really felt good. After doing that for several minutes, Mal laid on top of me and I rubbed her back.

"Jay called me a little bit ago." I said.

"Oh, is that who you were talking to?" Mal asked.

"Yeah. He wants us to hang out with him and Carlos later."

"Okay. I'm sure that'll be fun."

Mal got off me and we both sat up at the side of the bed.

"I'm hungry." Mal said.

"Me too, baby. We'll have to go back to the city again. But I got something that'll hold us over until then." I said.

I walked over to a small cabinet and bent down to open the doors. I gasped and jumped as I felt something touch me in my bottom. I turned around and saw Mal mischievously smiling at me.

"Mal!" I exclaimed.

"You know what I would like to eat?" she asked.

"What?" I asked.

Mal leaned in close to me.

"You." she whispered.

I gasped again.

"Oh come on, Evie. I know you like the sound of that. It's something we haven't done yet. But next time we have sex, when we're on top of each other, we should definitely taste each other more in detail. Because I'm sure you taste good." Mal said.

She smirked at me again before heading into the bathroom. I stood there, stunned by Mal's suggestive words. I walked into the bathroom and saw Mal cleaning herself before flushing the toilet. She walked over to the sink and I rested my head on her right shoulder as she washed her hands.

"At first I was a little offended by what you just said to me. But after thinking a little about it, I have to say...I can't wait." I said.

Mal smiled.

"I kind of thought so. You're new to this, just like I am. But you're more well mannered than I am." she said.

"Yeah, but there's so many things you and I can do. And I'm looking forward to this new journey with you." I said.

Mal dried her hands and turned around to look at me.

"I love you, Evie."

"I love you too, Mal."

We kissed a few times before heading out of the bathroom. We picked out our clothes for the day and changed into them. We then went back to the bathroom to apply our makeup and brush our hair. We then went out and I walked back over to the cabinet and got a can of almonds.

"Here." I said as I tossed the can at Mal.

Mal caught it and sat at my bed. I sat next to her and we ate some almonds together. A nice little bonding moment. After feeling full from eating almonds, we put our shoes and jackets on. Lastly, we grabbed our phones and I grabbed my purse and we left our dorm room.

We arrived at the city and had some breakfast at a cafe. After eating, I realized I forgot to grab some money back at the dorm, but luckily Mal still had sixty dollars left over from yesterday. I sighed in relief. What would I do without her? After we ate, we walked around the city, visiting different shops. Shortly after twelve, I got another call from Jay, inviting us over to his and Carlos' dorm. It's been awhile since we have been to their dorm room and it will be interesting to see if they made a mess of it. But probably not. Knowing that they are inviting girls over, they probably cleaned it up. Mal and I left the city and began the walk to the dorm building.

[_Carlos and Jay's dorm room. 12:36 pm_]

Mal's POV

Evie and I arrived at the guys' dorm room. After Jay let us in, we noticed the dorm room was nicely clean and organized.

"So, has it always been this clean, or did you spend the morning cleaning it?" Evie asked.

Jay laughed.

"No, it was a little messy, but it wasn't completely trashed. Honest." he said.

We all laughed. We talked for a little bit before Jay decided we should play a game. Carlos, Evie and myself sat at their dining table while Jay brought out a card game. I forgot the name of it, but it's a game where one player reads a card with a question or statement and one other player has to respond. We all take turns doing that. Jay shuffled the cards and arranged them into a stack.

"Okay, Mal. You're first." Jay said.

"I'm ready." I said.

Jay took a card from the stack.

"Oh, this one will be interesting. Describe the weather using a word or phrase that also describes your lover."

It didn't take much time before I had an answer. It's like I knew it right away.

"Wet!" I said.

"Wet." Jay repeated.

Evie deeply gasped and Carlos and Jay started laughing. Evie then tackled me to the floor and started to playfully hit me. I laughed as she sat on top of me.

"Hey, beautiful." I said.

Evie crossed her arms and looked away, looking quite annoyed. I love it when she does this. She plays like she teed off, when really she isn't. She does that when she really wants something from me or if she wants me to do something for her and I don't. Or she's flirting with me. I reached out and tickled her on her sides. Evie laughs and gets off me.

"Yeah, you can't resist me, Evie. Try all you want. You love me too much." I said.

Evie pouted, but then smiled at me. I got up and we returned back to the table. Carlos took a card from the stack.

"Okay, Evie. Your turn." he said.

"Alright." Evie said, bracing herself for another sexual question.

"How many chickens would it take to kill an elephant?"

Jay and I started laughing.

"Um, I don't know...five?" Evie said.

Jay and I laughed even harder.

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" Evie asked.

"Evie...Evie." I said.

I tried to speak, but it was so hard since I was laughing a lot. I put my arms around Evie and laughed.

"I'm sorry. It's just-you're so funny." I said.

Evie felt a little embarrassed, but she was happy to see me laugh.

"I'm glad I made you laugh, baby." she said.

"Oh you did. You most certainly did." I said.

After Jay and I calmed down, Evie took a card and looked at me.

"Okay, Mal."

"Yeah, Evie?"

"What is your favorite season and why?"

"My favorite season?"

I had to think for a moment. We didn't really have seasons on the Isle because of the barrier. Only in Auradon. I thought about the four kinds that Auradon and the rest of the world has.

"Fall." I said.

"Interesting. Why?" Evie asked.

"It gets a little cold, but not too cold. But really because of the leaves. I like the orange, yellow and red leaves." I replied.

Jay and Carlos nodded in agreement.

"Nice." Evie said.

"Yeah. Alright, my turn." I said.

I took a card and looked at Carlos.

"Okay, Carlos. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?"

"Ooh, this will be interesting." Evie said.

"Wow. One food. I like so many. How do I choose just one?" Carlos asked.

"What's your favorite thing to eat?" I asked.

Carlos smiled.

"Pizza." he replied.

"There you go." I said.

All who was left now is Jay.

"Okay, Jay. You're the only one who hasn't been asked something. Who should go?" Evie asked.

"You go, Evie." Jay said.

"Okay." Evie said.

She grabbed a card and looked at it.

"What's the sweetest thing you've ever done for a girl?"

"Oh, god." Jay said.

"Aww." Carlos said mockingly.

"Of course. Only Evie would get those kinds of questions." I said.

Jay thought for a moment.

"Just think. What is the sweetest thing you've done for Lonnie?" Evie asked.

"I took Lonnie out for dessert once." Jay replied.

"Aw, that is sweet." Evie said.

Evie then looked at me and hit me in the arm.

"How come you haven't taken me out for dessert yet?" she asked.

"Jeez, I knew you were going to ask that. I don't know." I said.

"Don't worry. You'll get your chance." Evie said.

"Do you girls want to keep playing or shall we play something else?" Jay asked.

"I don't mind. Whatever you'd like." Evie replied.

"Before we do, I just want to say to you guys. I really appreciate and love you guys." I said.

Jay and Carlos were a little surprised to hear that, but touched.

"Oh, sure thing, Mal." said Jay.

"Yeah, we love you too, Mal." said Carlos.

Evie rubbed my back.

"We all love and appreciate you too, Mal. We always will." Evie said.

"Thanks." I said.

I felt like I needed to say that. Since I usually don't to other people. Only to Evie. But after feeling better, we took another round, asking each other questions and had many more laughs until we ran out of cards. For the rest of the day, Jay and Evie talked some, while Carlos and I played some video games. And vice versa. Evie never plays, but Jay convinced her to try out this one racing game and after playing a little, Evie did enjoy it. If you were to go back in time to many years ago and tell me that Evie, Carlos, Jay and I were a family. I would not believe you. But who would have imagined? Us four misfits, combined together, create our own perfect little family. You know what we say, us VKs gotta stick together.


	22. Final Days Of Summer Break

_Final Days of Summer Break_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 2:15 pm_]

Mal's POV

Over half of our break has now passed. But Evie and I continued to have some fun. We had sex a couple more times. We tried my idea for really enjoying each other and didn't regret it at all. Evie gave me my first sewing lessons and taught me a little about science. Normally I wouldn't have paid much attention, but the way Evie was teaching me made me all ears. She was a little seductive at times. And I kind of enjoyed what I learned so far. Another day arrived, and Evie was about to give me another lesson. I wanted to add my iconic logo on one of my shirts.

I asked Evie if she could, but she saw this as an opportunity for another lesson. She started to tell me how to do it, but I had a hard time. I didn't quite have the steady hands needed for such delicate work. After sighing many times and saying "I can't do this", Evie grabbed my hands and moved them to the movements needed. As Evie was moving my hands, I looked at her shirt, which was a simple blue tank top and started to stare at her cleavage. I smiled as I was admiring the beautiful body in front of me. Evie noticed me staring at her chest and lightly smacked me on my head.

"Pay attention!" she said.

I smiled and looked back forward. After a little bit, the logo patch was sewed on the shirt.

"There. See? It isn't that hard." she said.

"I really don't think I'm cut out for this." I said.

"Don't worry, baby. In time, you'll get there."

I sighed.

"Okay." I said.

Evie's POV

After sitting in silence for a little bit, and watching Mal admire her improved shirt, I looked across the room and saw my school bag. I then remember something that happened the day before the carnival. I got up and walked to my bag and opened it and pulled out a book.

"What's that?" Mal asked.

I walked back over to Mal and sat next to her. I know Mal isn't going to like what I'm going to say.

"Fairy Godmother loaned me this book. This is, well, it has some strategies to help you deal with your anger."

Mal looked at me with a blank stare.

"What?" she said after.

"Baby, listen to me. I'm glad Chad doesn't make you upset anymore. But Audrey still does. And when it comes to her, I'm always afraid that you'll get into trouble by her." I said.

Mal sighed.

"I see. And you want me to find a way to cope with my anger?" she asked.

"Yes, Mal." I replied.

I'm glad Mal was easily understanding this. However, my assumption was wrong. Because Mal scoffed.

"No way! I say what I want. Especially to her." she said.

I sighed.

"Mal, please. Try to understand. You can be very edgy and irritable. And-"

"I thought you loved me for who I am."

"I do! But Mal, please listen to me."

Mal looked at me, a little annoyed. I sighed.

"Why did you decide to do this now?" Mal asked.

"Because I know it's not going to be easy. It'll take some time. And I figured our summer break will be long enough just so you would at least be able to try and control the anger and impulsiveness."

Mal glared at me.

"Mal, please. I'm doing this because I love you and I don't want you to get in trouble again. You got lucky after beating up Chad."

"I thought you appreciated that."

"I do. I really do. But…"

All of a sudden I had lost my train of thought. And it was good too. Because I was making Mal upset. And I didn't want to continue anymore. This is not how I wanted her first session to go.

"We'll do this again another time." I said.

I put the book back in my bag and walked back over to Mal and began to hug her.

"I'm sorry, Mal. I didn't mean to make you upset. I was just trying to…"

"Help me? I know. And well, I appreciate it. No one has really helped me before like this."

"I know. We'll do this another time. Because it won't help if we rush into this. But work with me next time, alright?"

"Okay, Evie. I promise." Mal said.

"Good, girl." I said after kissing her on the forehead.

Mal's POV

A few days later in the late afternoon, I was sitting on my bed drawing in my sketchbook. I was drawing the details of the house I had dreamed about. As time went on since I had the last dream about it, details were slowly leaving my mind. I had already drawn three other pages worth. I was then working on the fourth. Evie walked over to me and sat down next to me, watching me draw.

"Is that your dream house?" she asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"May I see?"

"Sure."

I flipped the book back to the first page of the drawing and handed it to her. Evie spent a couple minutes looking at each of the pages.

"Wow. This looks truly amazing."

"Thanks. I'm going to keep this in a safe place when I'm done. When it's our time to buy a house, I'll know exactly what I want by referring to the drawings." I said.

Evie kissed me.

"Beautiful, baby." she said.

We kissed a few times before Evie went back to what she was doing, which was sewing. After my hand was in pain from drawing, I decided to take a break and closed my book. I looked at Evie and was curious to know what she was making.

"What are you making?" I asked.

"A new shirt." she replied.

"New shirt?"

"Yeah. I'm going to make us both a new top to wear for the first day back to school. We have to make an entrance, you know."

"Sounds nice."

I walked over to Evie, but as I got to her, she stopped and put her hands over the design in her sketchbook.

"A surprise?" I asked.

"A surprise." she replied.

I scoffed and smiled as I went back to my bed. I laid down and took a little nap. I woke up an hour later and saw Evie cleaning and organizing the dorm room.

"Oh, did I wake up my kitten?" Evie asked.

"Kitten?!" I exclaimed.

"Well, yeah. You took a little cat nap. So therefore, you were a kitten." Evie said.

I sat up trying to comprehend what Evie has just told me.

"Are you flirting with me?" I asked.

Evie shrugged and smiled.

"Maybe." she said.

I got up and began to walk to the bathroom. I stopped and turned to Evie.

"You know I'm part dragon. No relation to a cat." I said.

"Yeah. But you're cute. Like a kitten."

We smiled at each other before I turned back and walked into the bathroom. Hearing her call me 'cute' really, oh what's that phrase? Warmed my heart? Yeah. After I was done doing my business, I walked back to the room and laid in Evie's bed.

"If you want to go back to sleep, you can." Evie said.

"I might. I don't know." I said.

Evie laid into bed with me and cover us with the blanket.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I want to lay with you. I'm taking a break from my sewing and cleaning. So I'm laying in bed with you. Is that okay?" she asked.

"Always." I replied.

We both held each other closely while occasionally kissing and stroking each others hair.

"Evie, tell me a story." I said.

"A story?"

"Yeah. Please?"

Evie looked at me, confused. I would never ask her, or anyone that. But I feel so close to her right now, and I want to feel even more close.

"Please?" I said.

"Um, sure, okay, baby."

She looked around, trying to think of something.

"Okay, got it. Once upon a time-"

"Yeah, that's opening is old. Just start it." I said.

Evie arched a brow.

"Really?" she asked.

"Please?" I said, while trying to make the cutest face possible.

Evie softly laughed and kissed me.

"Okay. There was this girl who had an amazing dream about her and the love of her life." Evie began.

Obviously she was talking about us. But I continued to listen.

"And this girl, who was named Mal, went on a mission to achieve her dream. Although, she was having a difficult time. So she enlists the help of her family and told them about her dream. A dream about living in the most fabulous, most fancy, magnificent, grand, lavish home there ever was. After she was prepared, she went off on her journey across the land and seas to the land she wanted to live. After days and days of looking, she finally found the perfect home for her and her love. She bought the home, and surprised her love with the house. And they began the next chapter in their lives. The end."

I snuggled closer to Evie.

"That was really nice, E." I said.

"Or was it the end?" Evie said.

"What?"

"After spending their first night in the house, they realized the house was haunted."

Oh god, Evie. Where are you going with this?

"They heard strange noises and footsteps all night. There was so much noise, they were convinced that there was another living person in their house. So the couple turned on all the lights and searched all the rooms, but found no one else. But then, there was this blast of cold air that flew right past them. And strange lights were quickly seen. Then when they least expected it, there was this whispery voice that says "behind you". And then a chair comes flying-"

"Evie, where the hell are you going with this?!" I asked.

Evie started laughing. I looked at her, completely confused to what everything Evie has just said to me. And my expression only made her laugh even more.

"I'm-I'm sorry, baby. It's just that-"

Evie had a hard time controlling herself. But I smiled as she was able to stop laughing.

"Evie."

"I'm sorry, baby. I just, I don't know. Sorry, babe. I kinda ruined the story, didn't I?"

"No. You're good. Thanks, Evie."

"You're welcome, Mal."

We kissed and made love in the bed. And for the last few weeks, Evie and I took it easy. Nothing really exciting has happened. We had sex a few more times, so I guess that can be counted as exciting. But other than that, nothing major. Evie sat down with me to help me control my emotions. Breathing exercises and all that. Evie also had me do our laundry with her once. I didn't really want to. But she somehow convinced me that it would be a nice bonding moment. But I felt alright with it afterwards. I do enjoy spending time with her. And I'm grateful for the time I have with her. I'm actually looking forward to the new school year. Especially to the memories we'll make.


	23. Hello Again, School

_Hello Again, School_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 7:00 am_]

Mal's POV

School is about to be back in session. We woke to our alarm at seven. After waking up, we took a shower together and did our morning routine together. We got mostly dressed. Evie gave me my new shirt she made and had me put it on. She asked me how it felt and I told her if felt nice. And it did. My shirt was naturally purple in color, but this shirt was different than any other shirt I have worn before. It had a silky texture, similar to my nightdress, but short sleeved, and was split neck. From the top, it's dark purple. But continuing down, the purple gets lighter and lighter in color until at the bottom it's white.

"Oh, you look great, Mal." Evie said.

"Do I?" I asked.

"Yes."

I looked in the mirror and I did indeed look great. Evie stood next to me with her new shirt on. And she looked nice in it. A buttoned shirt that was long sleeved. It was made from denim with the color of dark blue and some white at the bottom as well as white at the bottom of the sleeves.

"Wow, Evie. You look great as well." I said.

"Thanks. These were a different design I've never done before. And I'm proud of how well it turned out." Evie said.

We put our shoes on and were ready for the day. I looked at the clock and seen that we still had a lot of time left before we needed to go.

"So what should we do before we go?" I asked.

Evie walked over and sat next to me on her bed.

"Let's go over our little therapy session one more time." she said.

"Is that what you're calling it?" I asked.

"Mal."

"Okay."

"Alright. When you see Audrey, what's the first thing you're going to do?" Evie asked.

"Stay calm and collective." I answered.

"Yes. Now if you feel anger, what do you do?"

"Channel it to something else besides yelling and arguing."

"Good girl. Remember, just stay calm. I know she'll provoke you, but you can be stronger than her. I know you are." Evie said.

"Yes, Evie." I said.

Evie kissed me and straighten my hair. It was then seven fifty and Evie got up and grabbed her bag.

"Okay, Mal, let's go." she said.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's go. We're going to be late."

"But, Evie. We have an hour before we need to leave."

"Didn't I tell you? Ben wants all of us to go to the auditorium for a school assembly."

"What? You never told me that."

"Oh. Well, are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Sure. But what about breakfast? I'm hungry." I said.

"We get breakfast after the assembly." Evie.

"But I'm really hungry." I said.

Evie grabbed the can of almonds and gave it to me.

"Here, you can finish these. Now, let's go." she said.

I sighed and grabbed my bag and ate the almonds as walked to the auditorium. I finished the can before we got to the building. I tried to toss the can into a trash can, but missed. I didn't care. We walked inside and saw that everyone else was there. We saw Lonnie and Jay along with some empty seats next to them. We were all happy to see each other and exchanged greetings.

"So, what did we miss?" Evie asked.

"Nothing. It hasn't even started yet." Lonnie replied.

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah. We've been waiting for half an hour." Jay said.

"Darn, if we'd known that, we would've taken our time getting ready." I said.

"We kind of did." said Evie.

Just then, Ben was seen walking up on stage to a microphone.

"Good morning, everyone. And welcome back. Gosh, it feels good to be back." he said.

"It feels good to be bad." I said.

"Shh." Evie said.

"A new school year is about to begin. And I wish you all the best success. You all are the very best."

Ben has done assemblies like this before. But the way he's conducting this one makes it look like this is the first one he's ever done. Probably because he knows he's running late.

"However, there's an issue I want to bring up. During summer break, someone or some people have been putting up posters of fish around school campus. From the bathrooms, to the tourney field. Outside of buildings and on windows. We've seen pictures of trout, tuna and other types of fish including lobster all around."

"Lobsters are not fish!" someone shouted.

"Look, all I'm asking is please don't put up multitudes of pictures of fish all around campus. Okay? I admire your passion for them, but please don't do this anymore." Ben said.

Funny. I've never seen them around campus during break. Then again, we weren't around campus. Except in the cafeteria. And I do recall seeing a poster of a fish that looked out of place once.

"Now, a couple school events that will happen soon. First off, yearbook photos will be the first occasion. They will begin next month on the fourth." Ben said.

"Oh, and I gotta make us outfits for that." Evie said.

"Shh!" I said, mocking her.

Evie gave me a 'really?' kind of look.

"Second thing, homecoming. It will take place after the tourney team's first game."

"Whoo! Tourney!" someone shouted.

"You will get more info about yearbook photos and homecoming later."

Ben went on and talked for another ten to twenty more minutes about some other boring stuff.

"So, does anyone got any questions?" Ben asked.

"Hey, when can we eat?!" someone else shouted.

"Um."

Ben looked at his watch and saw the time. I took out my phone and saw it was eight forty. By the time everyone goes to the cafeteria and eats, it will be well past nine o'clock. And school starts at nine.

"Well, um. Heh, this is rather unfortunate." he said, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, you didn't time this very well, did you?!" I shouted.

Evie then covered my mouth with her hand as some people were looking at us.

"Mal, quiet." she whispered.

"Alright, everyone. You are all dismissed. Have a great day." Ben said.

He then left the stage and people began leaving. As Evie and I were getting up to leave, we were talking a little bit to Lonnie and Jay when we heard lots of laughter. We looked back at the stage and couldn't believe our eyes.

"Oh my god." Evie said.

I laughed a little as we saw the stage curtains fully close and a huge poster, that looked like it was thirty feet by fifteen or twenty, of a silver colored fish with the words "stay in schools" below it. The real funny thing about it was, it became visible when two stage curtains, opposite of each other, were closing off the stage. Someone had the poster in two halves. But they were perfectly aligned together to a tee when the two curtains were closed together. And even funnier, it was high up. Like ten feet up in the air. That was obviously well planned. And it was so stupid, but yet so funny. I took out my phone and snapped a picture of it. I put my phone back away and Evie looked me right in the face.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" she asked.

"What? No! Nothing at all." I said.

"Mal."

"I'm serious. I had nothing to do with this. I swear."

"Alright."

I really didn't. But it may seem like it though. I admire those who did this. What's next? Turning the tourney trophy case into a fish tank? Now that would be something. And something I would definitely want to be part of. We left the auditorium and headed for our lockers. Seeing that breakfast was basically out of the question. Evie and I have three out of six classes together: art, mathematics, and science. We were both really excited. We went to our lockers to put our books away and got what we needed. Then we noticed Audrey walking towards us.

"Great. Here comes Audrey." I said, unamused.

"Mal, remember what I told you. You need to be nice and channel your anger to something else besides arguing." Evie said.

"Yes, Evie." I groaned.

It would be hard for me, but for Evie, I was willing to.

"Hello, Audrey." Evie greeted.

"Hi, Evie. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm also good. I'm glad to be back."

Why is Audrey being real friendly to Evie? Well, it's probably because as Audrey once told me, she likes Evie more than she likes me.

"So what are you doing here? I asked.

Audrey looked at me, annoyed by my question. Evie cleared her throat as she looked at me. I realized I had asked the question wrong.

"I mean...what brings you here? To us?" I asked, trying my best.

"Nothing. Except my locker is here." Audrey said as she walked past me and stopped near Evie.

"Oh nice! We're like locker buddies!" said Evie.

"Yeah, you could say that. For you and I." Audrey said.

We watched as Audrey put some books away in her locker.

"Oh, Evie. What classes do you have?" Audrey asked after she finished.

"Here's my schedule."

Evie took a folded paper out of her jacket, unfolded it, and handed it to Audrey.

"Oh nice! We have two classes together! Look for me, we'll sit next to each other." Audrey said.

"Okay!" said Evie as she was given back her schedule.

This is so strange. Audrey has never been this polite to Evie before. At least I've never seen it. The bell then rang, telling us that passing period has begun.

"One more thing, Evie. I want to ask you something. I'd ask you later, but I might forget." Audrey said.

"Sure, what's up?" Evie asked.

Audrey looked over at me, then back at Evie.

"Can you come to my dorm room shortly after school?" she asked warily.

"Um, sure. Okay." Evie replied.

"Great! See you later" Audrey said as she gave Evie a quick hug.

"See you." Evie said.

She then walked away.

"Okay, wow. That was something." Evie said.

"You're telling me. That did not seem right. Not at all." I said.

Something was not right about that. A little out of character for Audrey if you ask me.

"Evie, be careful around her. She's up to something. I can sense it." I said.

"Or maybe she's trying to be nicer. Something you should take a cue from." Evie said.

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Come on, Mal. Let's go to class."

Our first class is science. The teacher is Mr Deley, and something about that guy just gives me a bad vibe. Evie and I found a perfect spot in the room to sit next to each other. The rest of the students came in and took their seats. Mr Deley arrived last. All the students were talking among each other.

"Good morning, class." he said.

Everyone was talking so much, no one heard him.

"Good morning, class." he said again.

Evie and I were the only ones who were quiet. I seen that Mr Deley started to get frustrated, so I decided to be nice. I stood up from my seat and slammed my hand on the table.

"Hey! Quiet!" I yelled.

Everyone stopped talking and looked at me.

"Ah yes. Mal. I've heard a lot about you." he said.

I smiled and sat back down. Evie patted my back.

"Good girl." she whispered.

Mr Deley then approached me.

"Why is someone like you enrolled in this class?" he asked.

"I thought it would be good for Mal to try something new." Evie said.

"How much science do you know?" he asked.

"Quite a bit. Evie has taught me a lot during the summer break." I replied.

"Really? Okay. Tell me, what is the thirteenth element on the periodic table?"

"Aluminum."

Mr Deley looked at a poster of the periodic table on the wall behind me and couldn't believe I was right.

"Déjà vu." he muttered.

Evie and I snickered quietly to each other as Mr Deley walked back to the front of the class. I think I'm going to like science. Evie was right about that. After science, Evie and I didn't have a class together, but after that we had art. On the way to art class during passing period, Evie told me what happened with her and Audrey.

"She was really nice to me. She told me what she did during break and we just had a nice, friendly conversation." Evie said.

"She still wants you to come to her dorm afterschool?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you?"

"Well, I don't want to be rude. I really don't have a reason not to. Except you. Is it alright?" Evie asked.

I sighed. I really don't want her to. But Evie is afraid that she'll hurt Audrey's feelings, not that I care, but Evie couldn't face that, and I don't want Evie to feel bad. I had a strong feeling that Audrey is up to something. And later, we'll find out that I'm right.

"It's okay, Evie." I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You deserve to have some girl time with someone besides me." I said.

Evie kissed me on the lips.

"But I'll never get tired of you." she said.

We arrived at the art class. And we learned that Evie isn't the best drawer when it comes to things other than clothes. And I feel great that I can teach her something for a change. Lunch time arrived after art and we had lunch with Jay, Lonnie, Carlos and Jane. Talking more about what we all did during break and how our day was going so far. After lunch, Evie and I didn't have the next two classes together, but we had mathematics together last. I don't like math, but Evie said that it's used in chemistry. So I guess I should pay attention.

After school was over, we headed to our dorms. Once we got there, we both laid on Evie's bed, exhausted.

"Wow, that was a pretty good first day." Evie said.

"It was. Loved the assembly." I said.

"Yeah, that was definitely something."

I laid on top of Evie and kissed her.

"We had a great summer break, didn't we?" I asked.

"We certainly did."

"What was your favorite part?" I asked.

Evie smiled, then I smiled.

"The sex." we both said.

We both laughed as we hugged each other.

"But also the mountain. We should go back when it's fall. We can see the leaves changing. That's your favorite season after all." Evie said.

"Indeed." I said.

I got off of Evie and we sat at the side of her bed.

"Well, we should start on our homework." she said.

"I didn't get very much." I said.

"Neither did I, but let's work on it now so we'll be done sooner." Evie said.

"The sooner we get done, the sooner we can make out?" I asked.

"Something like that." Evie replied with a wink.

We started on our homework. Evie got done sooner that me, as usual. But she helped me finished mine. After we were done, we laid back down and Evie started giving me kisses all round my neck. I moaned as they felt so nice. Evie went down to my pants and unbuttoned and unzipped them.

"Wow, Evie. You sure move fast." I said.

Evie smirked at me as she pulled my pants off. She then pulled my panties off me and smiled.

"I live for this." she said.

Evie started giving me kisses on my legs and worked her way up to my inner thighs. I laid there, feeling completely aroused. I took off my top and laid naked for Evie.

"You got me. Whatcha' going to do with me?" I asked.

Evie took off her top and laid on me.

"I'm going to make you feel good again." Evie replied.

We kissed many times. As we were, Evie's phone sounded off. But we ignored it.

"You are my princess, Evie. And I'll do anything for you." I said.

"Lay on your stomach." she said.

I did and Evie began rubbing my back and shoulders.

"Are you giving me a massage?" I asked.

"Yes, baby. Now shh." Evie said.

I felt so relaxed as Evie was feeling me. Evie was about to take off her pants when her phone sounded off again. Three times, one after another.

"Hold on, baby." she said.

Evie walked over to our nightstand where her phone was and looked at it.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Audrey. Darn it. I forgot that she wants me to come over." Evie said.

Evie looked at me, confused.

"I don't know what to do." she said.

I sat up in the bed.

"Go ahead." I said.

"Are you sure?" Evie asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead, Evie. We'll continue this tonight before we go to sleep." I said.

Evie grabbed me and hugged me tightly.

"Count on it." she said.

We kissed a few more times before Evie put her bra and shirt back on. She then sat on the edge of the bed and put her shoes on. I sat at the head of the bed with my legs crossed.

"You gonna stay naked?" Evie asked.

"I'm going to put on my nightdress, but nothing underneath." I replied.

"Nice." Evie said.

After Evie went to the bathroom to straighten her hair, she came back to me and gave me a few more kisses

"I love you, Mal."

"I love you too, Evie."

"Alright, see you later." Evie said.

"Okay, but be careful." I said.

"I will. Bye."

"Bye."

We kissed one more time before Evie left. I sighed. Worrying about if I'm right about Audrey being up to something. But I shook it off for I have something more important to think about. Not my dream. Well yeah, that is important, but it's not quite time for us yet. What I'm thinking about is our anniversary. In a month from now, it will be one year since Evie and I started dating. And I need to start planning something special for Evie. I don't know if Evie has started thinking of anything yet, but I need to get started because we will most likely have something planned for both of us. Something that will be memorable for sure.


	24. Unbosom

_Unbosom_

[_Audrey's dorm room. 4:40 pm_]

Evie's POV

I arrived at Audrey's dorm room. I knocked on her door and waited. Mal's suspicion of Audrey being up to something came to my mind, but it went away when Audrey opened the door.

"Hi, Evie! Come on in!" she said happily.

I walked in and Audrey closed the door. I looked around and saw her room was bigger than ours. Probably because she is royalty. Audrey led me over to a couch and had me sit down. She then brought over a plate with chocolate chip cookies.

"Cookie?" she asked.

"Oh! Um, thanks." I said.

I took one and bit into it. And it tasted really good.

"Wow, this is so good. Did you make these?" I asked.

"Of course! Always have to have a treat made when a guest comes over. So how was your day?" Audrey asked.

"It went great. How was yours?" I asked.

"It was great as well."

Audrey set the plate down on a nearby table and then sat next to me on the couch. I finished eating and looked at Audrey.

"So, um..why did you invite me over?" I asked.

"I missed you, Evie. I thought a lot about you over summer break." she said.

"You have?" I asked.

"Yes. And I feel bad for not getting to know you. You and I have many things in common."

"We do?"

"Yes! You and I have a knack for fashion. And we're both pretty. Well...you're pretty, that's for sure." Audrey said, smiling.

Audrey grabbed and held my left hand. When she did, I felt a shock go up in my arm. Audrey's hand shocked me like a taser. But she didn't feel anything, only I did. It was at this time I was beginning to wonder if Mal is right.

"Um, Audrey. May I ask-"

"Anything."

I smiled and moved Audrey's hand away from mine as politely as I could.

"Why the sudden interest in me?"

I'm going to regret asking the question that way soon.

"Because, Evie. You are a wonderful person. As I said before, I feel bad for not getting to know you. But that can still be changed. I want you to be my friend, Evie. And I would like you to be my friend as well. Well, more than friends. Like, best friends or beyond." Audrey said.

"I still don't understand though. I thought us VKs aren't your favorite kind of people." I said.

"Well, the boys can be a handful sometimes, but really they're alright."

"It's Mal." I said.

"Look, I didn't invite you here to talk about them, or her. I invited you here to talk about us."

"Right, I'm sorry." I said.

"It's okay." Audrey said.

The time she grabbed both my hands and the shock feeling was felt again. Except I winced and jumped a little. I didn't know why I felt this way. It didn't make any sense.

"Are you okay?" Audrey asked.

"I'm-I'm fine. It's just..It's nothing."

I didn't like having to lie, but sometimes that's better than the truth.

"Oh, okay. Would you like another cookie?" Audrey asked.

"Um, sure." I said.

Audrey walked over to the plate and grabbed a cookie and walked back over to me and handed me it. As I took a bite, some chocolate got smeared around the right side of my lips.

"Oh, you got a little mess by your lip." Audrey said.

After not being able to remove the smear of chocolate, Audrey grabbed a napkin and wiped it off me. Which was kind of uncomfortable for me.

"There, that's better. You look beautiful, Evie." she said.

Before I could respond, Audrey placed a pink book on my lap.

"I want you to see this. Look through the pages." she said.

I ate the last piece of the cookie and wiped my hands on the napkin. I picked up the book and opened it. It was Audrey's sketchbook. Many pages of the book were sketches and designs of dresses and everyday wear. And they were quite impressive.

"Wow, Audrey. These are really good. They're amazing." I said.

"Really? You think so?"

"I do. Audrey, you are an amazing designer." I said.

"Thanks, Evie. That means a lot coming from you." she said.

What Audrey does next confirms Mal's suspicion. Audrey sat up on the couch and put her arms around me, hugging me, but also laying on me a little at the same time. I sat there, completely bewildered by Audrey's affection. I often get hugs from many people besides Mal, but the way Audrey was hugging me was way more than a friendly one. After what seemed like forever, but was only less than a minute, Audrey got off me and looked at my shirt.

"I love this shirt. Did you make this yourself?" she asked.

"I did. Similar to my jacket, but made with different materials." I replied.

"You look nice in it, I hope I get to see you wear it again." Audrey said.

"Oh, I'm sure you will." I said.

"Good. Would you like another cookie?" Audrey asked.

"No thanks. I'm good." I said.

I wanted to, because they were really good. But I didn't want what happened with the last one happen again. We sat in silence for a little bit. I looked around Audrey's room. But I sensed Audrey looking at me the entire time. As I turned to her, she quickly looked away.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just admiring you." she said.

That's when I realized it. Oh my god. Audrey has a crush on me. I couldn't believe it. The signs were there, and I didn't notice them until now. The compliments, the touching, the hug, especially the hug. They are the signs of a crush. I didn't know what to do or say. Audrey noticed my disturbed look.

"Evie, what's wrong?" she asked.

I swallowed. I figured I'd best come right out and ask.

"Audrey...do you have a crush on me?"

A surprised look was seen in Audrey's eyes. She then nodded.

"Audrey." I said, discontented.

"Hear me out, Evie. I've thought about you all summer break. And I so wanted to hang out and be with you, but you were always with Mal."

"Of course. Mal's my girlfriend. She's my loved one." I said.

"But, Evie. I can be better than Mal. I can treat you better than Mal treats you. I've seen how she is. You're the one who's always kissing her. You're always the one that's doing things for her. Like the time you made her dinner in the kitchen that early morning? She's never done anything like that for you."

"Hold up! _You're _the one who turned us in? You're the 'valuable source'?"

"I didn't know what I was thinking when I told Fairy Godmother. I guess I was hoping it would increase my chances of being with you. Like that makes sense." Audrey said.

I sighed.

"I'm sorry, Evie. I really am." Audrey said.

"How long have you had a crush on me?" I asked.

"Since you were last here. Going over the details of my dress order. I'm really sorry, Evie. Please forgive me." Audrey said.

I sighed once more.

"Okay. Okay, I forgive you. It was wrong of Mal and I to do what we did, and you had every right to turn us in. But may I ask, what were you doing up at that time?" I asked.

"Honestly, stalking you. I was obsessed with you. But I couldn't let you know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You don't need to be sorry anymore."

"Okay."

Audrey was looking at me again. And while I like it when someone admires me, I have to make things clear to her.

"Audrey, you know we can't be together." I said.

"Why not? Evie, give me one chance. One chance. And I'll prove to you that I can be better than Mal."

"Audrey, you don't know how Mal and I are. We are very close." I said.

"How close?" Audrey asked.

"Fourth base." I replied directly.

Audrey looked horrified.

"And you enjoy being with her?" she asked.

"Very much so."

"Evie, please. Please. I have a very nice body which I think you'll love. And I'm sure you have a nice body as well. One chance. Right now. Let me prove to you what I can do." Audrey said.

"Audrey!" I exclaimed.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I know I'm pretty. But the thought of me being attractive to an actual princess, does not sound right. If I did get together with Audrey, it would ruin her. What would her parents think? Her grandmother? Her entire family? It would be chaos, and I couldn't live with that.

"Whatever happened to you sticking with royalty? Finding yourself a prince?" I asked.

"I don't care about that anymore."

"Yes you do! You're just going through a phase."

"Evie."

"Let me be clear. If we do have sex, and go out, you're going to soon regret it because it is not who you are. Believe me, this is not what you want. I'm not what you want. What would your family think? Because I know they would not approve of that. Or me." I said.

I tried to say that as kindly as I could. But I know I had hurt Audrey's feelings. But I think she knows I'm right. After seeing tears forming in her eyes, I pulled Audrey into a hug. Audrey put her arms around me and I rubbed her back.

"Oh, Audrey. You're an amazing person. There's someone out there for you, I know it. And while we can't have a relationship, we can still be close. We'll be besties, and I'll look forward to the fun we'll have in the classes we have together."

Audrey backed away, wiped her tears and nodded.

"You're right. You're so right. I'm sorry." she said.

"It's okay. And I'm sorry that I have to tell you that. It's just that, I love Mal. And I couldn't cheat on her. I know you don't like her because of who she is and who her mother is and what she has done. And I'm sorry. Everytime you two cross paths, I'm hoping sometime you two can work out your differences and at least become simple friends."

"I don't think that will ever happen." Audrey said.

"Mal and I weren't always the bestest of friends either. For ten years she hated me because of something mean I had done to her when we were very little. But we overcome our differences. And we're both glad to have each other in our lives." I said.

Audrey sighed.

"Maybe someday. But not anytime soon." she said.

"I understand." I said.

I glanced at the window and saw it was getting dark out.

"I should go."

Audrey looked at the clock and saw what time it was.

"Right. Okay. Well, thanks for coming over." she said.

"Of course. Next time, let's do something fun." I said.

"Okay." she said.

We got up and I grabbed one last cookie.

"And make more of these. Because they are so good." I said.

"Sure thing."

We walked to the door and Audrey opened it for me.

"I love you, Evie. I mean, as a friend." she said, smiling.

I smiled back at her.

"I love you too, Audrey. Good night."

"Good night."

I left and walked down the hallway. As I was eating the cookie along the way, I thought about all that has just happened. I'm bothered by it, that's for sure. After the cookie was gone, I went to the cafeteria to get dinner. I ate there, but brought some back for Mal. I walked in and quietly closed the door behind me. I put the plate on the table and saw Mal fast asleep in my bed. I smiled and walked over to her. I pulled the blanket off her a little and saw she was still naked.

"Mal, wake up, baby."

Mal groaned. I kissed her on the cheek and continue to smile at her. I could never have this kind of relationship with Audrey or anyone else as I do with Mal. Audrey could never be how Mal is. Not that I was thinking of leaving Mal, mind you. Mal's dream of us living in Canada is really special, and that's what is making us quite unique. I gently shook Mal again, trying to get her to wake up. And she calls me a deep sleeper? Well, she can be one too.

"Mal, come on, baby. Wake up. I have dinner. Salisbury steak, with mashed potatoes." I said.

I got up and grabbed the plate and held it in front of her so she can smell the food. Mal opened her eyes and saw me with the plate.

"Evie?"

"Hi, baby. Get up and come eat." I said.

I walked back to the table and put the plate back down on the table. After waking up some more, Mal began to walk over to the table, but I stopped her and handed Mal her nightdress.

"Best if you put this on. I love seeing you naked, but the steak sauce is hot. And if some drops on you…"

"Yeah, okay." Mal said.

Mal slid the dress on her and sat at the table. I put a large napkin on her chest and gave her a knife and fork.

"You enjoy that, baby." I said.

We kissed and Mal began to eat. I walked over to the closet and grabbed my nightdress. I took off all my clothes on the spot and slipped into the dress. I then sat at the table across from her and watched her eat.

"Where's yours?" Mal asked.

"I already ate." I replied.

"Oh, okay." Mal said, with food in her mouth.

"Mal, don't talk with your mouth full." I said.

"Sorry, Evie." Mal said, with her mouth still full.

"Mal."

Mal swallowed and laughed. I laughed along with her. Ten minutes later, Mal was done eating. We sat in my bed and kissed.

"So how did it go with Audrey?" Mal asked.

I laughed.

"Oh god, I don't know if I should tell you." I said.

"Why? What happened?" Mal asked.

"You were right, Mal. Audrey was up to something." I said.

"I knew it!" Mal exclaimed.

"But not in the way you think."

"Huh?"

I've prepared myself for Mal's reaction for what I'm about to tell her.

"Audrey...has a crush on me." I said.

Mal looked at me for a little bit. Not moving or saying anything.

"Now, baby. Stay calm. Don't do anything rash." I said.

"No, I'm okay. I guess I can understand why. You are very pretty. And you've had a lot of people fall in love with you. You told her that you love me very much, right?"

"Of course. I told her that you and I are very close and I enjoy being with you." I said.

"Good." Mal said.

"Then she tried to convince me to have sex with her." I said.

"What?!"

At this time I was sure Mal was going to blow a fuse. And she did.

"Audrey tried to get you to have sex with her?! Oh that does it! I'm going to go down there and give that bitch a piece of my mind!" Mal said.

"Only three problems with that, Mal." I said.

"What?!"

"One, you ain't going in your nightdress. Two, you don't know what room number her dorm is. And three, I got through with her and told her that her and I couldn't be together and if we did, it would ruin her. She knows and she understands that we can only be friends."

"She does?"

"Yes. You can relax. Everything is taken care of." I said.

"Alright." Mal said as she rested herself in my arms.

A few minutes later, I had the urge to take a shower. Probably to symbolically wash away what happened with Audrey. I'll be honest, that wasn't really the best time I've spent with someone. I'd like to have that time back.

"I'm going to jump in the shower for a little bit. Would you like to join me?" I asked, as I got up and took off my nightdress.

"That's okay, Evie. I'll pass this time." Mal said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't feel like it right now." Mal said.

"Alright, Mal. No worries." I said.

We kissed a few times before I went into the bathroom and started my shower.

Mal's POV

As Evie was in her shower, I glanced over at Evie's desk and saw the purple rock we got from the mountain. I walked over to it and grabbed it. I looked at it more in detail and saw that the rock has some kind of transparent cover on it. Kind of like shrink wrap on a box. I removed this cover and saw it was like plastic wrap, but a different material that I don't know the name of. The rock was still purple and looked the same. I went to touch it to see if it felt any different. But the texture was the same.

However, as I did, this burst of purple energy came right at me. An energy that was so strong, But it didn't hurt at all. In fact, it made me feel really good. So good, I laughed as the energy coursed through my body.

"Wow, that felt really good." I said.

I laid back in Evie's bed and fell back asleep once more.


	25. Unhinged Behavior

_Unhinged Behavior_

[_Auradon Prep. 10:30 am_]

Evie's POV

Two days later, I was in the library for study hall. I didn't have a class with Mal after science. And study hall was second my class. I was sitting at a computer cubicle desk, working on some school work. The cubicle was in a perfect spot in the library. It was by itself, separated from the other computer cubicles that were lined up on a long desk. Plus, unlike the others, this one was right by a window. So I occasionally looked out the window and saw the nice view the window provided. The cubicle was near a corner of the building, so I had a good view of the library as well. As I was writing some things down in my notebook, I saw Mal walking up to me.

"Hey." she said.

"Oh, hi, baby. Whatcha doing here?" I asked.

Mal slammed her bag right in front of me and on top of my notebook. I looked at her, confused on why she just did that.

"I need this computer." she said.

"Oh, um...well I'm using it right now. Can you wait a little bit?" I asked.

Mal sighed and crossed her arms.

"How long is a little bit?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know. I'm kind of in the middle of this assignment." I replied.

"How long have you been here?"

I looked at the clock in the bottom right side of the screen.

"About twenty minutes." I replied.

"That's long enough. Now move." Mal said, demandingly.

"Mal, what's with the attitude? There's other computers to use." I said.

Mal scoffed and faked a laughed.

"Take a look around, Evie. Do you see any computers available?"

I stood up and looked. There were a lot of empty cubicles when I got there. They filled up and I didn't even realize it. I slowly sat back down and stared at Mal's bag in front of me.

"Well, aren't you going to move?" Mal asked.

I looked at Mal. Something was bothering her.

"Mal, what's wrong? Why are you upset?" I asked.

"I'm not upset. But I will be if you don't move." she replied.

I didn't know why Mal was upset. But I didn't want to anger her more.

"Okay, Mal. You can have it." I said.

I moved Mal's bag aside so I could get my notebook and pencil. On the computer, I saved my work on a flash drive that I had inserted and removed the drive and closed the pages. I put the flash drive in my bag along with the notebook and pencil and moved aside. However, as I moved the chair so Mal could sit down in it, her left foot somehow got caught in the feet and she tripped and fell over the chair.

"Ow!" Mal exclaimed loudly.

So loud, some people shushed us.

"Oh shush yourself!" Mal said to them.

"Mal, are you okay?" I asked.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Mal asked.

Again, some people shushed us. Mal slowly got up and rubbed her left knee.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to hurt you." I said.

"Oh the hell you weren't."

"Mal!"

"You told me I could have it. And you sure gave it to me."

"You know that's not what I meant." I said.

Mal grabbed her bag and glared at me.

"You know what? You can keep the damn computer." Mal said before storming off.

I stood in front of the cubicle, completely at a loss on what just happened. Something was definitely bothering Mal. Something has made her upset. And I want to know what it is so I can help her feel better. I walked into the direction where Mal went. I saw the girls' bathroom straight ahead. I figured that's where she went. When I walked inside, I saw Mal checking herself out in the mirror. She then looked at me and smiled.

"Hey, Evie!" she said happily.

"Hi, Mal." I said cautiously.

That wasn't right. Why is Mal suddenly so happy?

"Mal, are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. How are you?" she asked.

"I'm good as well. Just wondering...why you're here." I said.

I was about to say "just wondering why you're suddenly happy", but that wouldn't have sounded right.

"Oh, well I need a book about medieval times. You know, knights and all that stuff. It's for my history class." Mal said.

Her mood was very calm. Like she was herself again. Perhaps she got over whatever made her upset. Because she's fine now.

"Yeah. Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

"Yeah, if you don't mind. This library is big and I don't often come in here. So I don't really know my way around."

"Yeah, no. Not a problem. I know where they are. I'll show you." I said.

As we left the bathroom, I decided to put what just happened behind and led Mal to the history section.

"Here we are. This is the medieval history section. There are lots of books here on the subject so I'm sure you'll-"

I turned around and thought Mal was behind me all along. But she wasn't. I was just talking to myself.

"Mal?"

Right when I started to walk around the corner of the bookshelf, Mal jumped out from the other side.

"_BOO!_" she yelled.

I screamed so loud, Mal laughed and everyone in the area shushed us.

"Sorry, so sorry." I said to them.

I looked at Mal, with my hands over my chest. My heart was racing. She really scared me.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" Mal asked.

I crossed my arms and frowned at her.

"Mal." I said.

"What?" Mal asked.

I relaxed my arms and sighed.

"Never mind. Here, this is the medieval history section." I said as I pointed the bookshelf full of books on the subject to her.

"Thanks, Evie." Mal said.

"You're welcome, Mal. Now if you don't mind, I have some work of my own to complete." I said.

"No, go ahead." Mal said, cheerfully.

She kissed me on the lips.

"I love you." she said.

"I love you too." I said.

I walked back across the library back to the computer and rested my head in my hands.

"_What in the world was all of that?_" I thought.

Something strange was going on with Mal. After study hall, during passing period, as I was walking to art class that I have with Mal, Jane approached me and wanted to know if she could talk to me for a minute. I said sure and we walked out to a small grassy area.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I want to talk to you about Mal." Jane said.

"Mal? Um, okay?" I said.

Jane hesitated to speak after.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

I sighed.

"What did she do?" I asked.

"It's not really what she did, but more how she is. Mal had an outburst in her class. She got mad at everyone and she walked out of her class. We're worried that something is really bothering her. But she won't tell us." Jane said.

"Yeah. Earlier today in the library, Mal was unreasonably upset. She yelled at me, and when she accidentally hurt herself, she blamed me and stormed off. But when I confronted her, she was her normal self." I said.

"That's what happened in her class. Any idea what's with her?" Jane asked.

"No. None at all. But we have a class together next, so I'll see if I can get to the bottom of this." I said.

"Okay, please do." Jane said.

We went our separate ways. When I arrived at the door to art class, I saw Mal walking up. Since we still had a few minutes left of passing period, I decided to pull her aside and talk.

"Hey, Mal." I said.

"Hi, Evie!" Mal exclaimed.

She was happy to see me. She ran up to me and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back tightly.

"Before we go inside, may I talk to you for a sec?" I asked.

"Of course." Mal said.

I walked her to around the building. The classroom was at the end of the building and we were around the corner from it, so we wouldn't have to worry about being late.

"What's up? Mal asked.

"I'm going to just cut right to the chase, why were you so angry in your last class and in the library?" I asked.

"What? Angry?" Mal asked.

"Yes. In class, before this one, I was told that you had an outburst in your class which made you walk out and I think you came to the library afterwards." I said.

Mal looked at me confused.

"Evie. I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. My last class was history, and I do remember going to the library. I was in the bathroom and you walked in. I told you I was there to get a medieval history book and you showed me where they were." Mal said.

"And you scared me there." I said.

"Scared you?"

"Yes! You came from around a corner and yelled "boo" right at me and scared me the daylights out of me."

Mal looked at me puzzled.

"Are you sure, Evie? I would never scare you like that." Mal said.

"You don't remember what I just told you?" I asked.

"Outbursts and scaring you?"

"Yes."

"No. I don't remember that. Are you sure it's me you're talking about?" Mal asked.

"Yes. You honestly don't remember any of that?" I asked.

"I don't, Evie. I'm being honest. I really don't." Mal said.

The bell rang, indicating passing period was almost over. Mal kissed me on the lips.

"Are you okay, Evie?" she asked.

I cleared my throat.

"Yeah. I'm okay." I said.

Mal smiled and hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Okay. Let's go to class." I said.

We walked into the classroom and took our seats right when the final bell rang. As class went on, I carefully observed Mal. But she seemed fine. She was her normal self. As the day went on, when Mal was around me, she was fine. She told me that she wasn't going to be at the dorms after school for she had some study hall of her own to attend to. I believed her and went back to our dorm room by myself. About an hour later, I heard a knock at the door. I walked over and opened the door and saw Audrey and Jane.

"Audrey, Jane. Hello." I said.

"Hi, Evie, May we come in? We really need to talk." Audrey said.

"Sure." I said.

I opened the door wider for them and then closed it behind them.

"What's going on? You both seem kind of tense." I said.

"We are." Audrey said.

"It's about Mal." Jane said.

"Mal?"

"Yes. "Long live evil" is spray painted in green across the side of the gym building." said Audrey.

"What?!" I said.

"And Mal was yelling at people again. She's mad about something. And when I tried to talk to her, she almost pushed me to the ground." said Jane.

"This doesn't make any sense. Mal was completely fine when we had our remaining classes together." I said.

"We're only telling you what we saw." Jane said.

"It's only natural that Mal is fine around you. But if Mal has really gone off the rails, we have a serious issue." said Audrey.

"And we don't know where she is. She took off running and we can't find her. We thought she might have come back here." Jane said.

I sighed in disbelief.

"This is absurd. Are you sure it's Mal?" I asked.

"Oh, positive. There is no other girl around here with purple hair." Audrey replied.

I walked over to my desk and grabbed my phone and went on an app.

"What are you doing?" Audrey asked.

"We tried calling her, but she won't pick up." said Jane.

"I have this app that I paired Mal's phone with." I said.

"What?" asked Audrey.

"I'm searching for Mal's phone signal. Not that I'm calling you both liars, but it's just, it's hard for me to believe. A quick check for Mal's phone will tell me that she is nowhere near your incident." I said.

The app finished loading and it showed me where Mal's phone was.

"In fact, she's just returning now." I said.

I put my phone aside and the three of us waited in silence as we heard footsteps approaching the door. They stopped and we saw the door handle turn and the door opening. Mal walked inside and closed the door behind her. She put her bag down on the floor and looked at us.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"We were just...wondering where you've been. We haven't been able to reach you." I said.

I looked at Mal's arms as she took off her jacket and didn't see any signs that she was using a spray paint can. No paint was on her arms or her clothes.

"I have my phone on me. Why didn't you call me?" Mal asked.

"Have you checked your phone?" Audrey asked.

Mal pulled out her phone from her pants pocket and looked at it.

"Oh wow. Five missed calls." she said.

Audrey scoffed. I walked up to Mal and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Baby, where have you been?" I asked her.

"Study hall." Mal replied.

Her demeanor was calm. Like how she usually is.

"Okay, well. The library isn't near the gym. And what you did-"

"Audrey, I'll handle this. Thank you. You both may leave now."

Mal glared at Audrey as Audrey glared at Mal. Jane opened the door and signaled Audrey to leave. Mal blew a raspberry at Audrey which made Audrey exclaim in disgust. Jane grabbed Audrey's arm and led her out of our door room. After they left, I had Mal sit on my bed with me so we could talk. But Mal didn't want to talk. She wanted to cuddle. She made me lay down so she could lay on top of me. As we were hugging each other, I was thinking on what Audrey and Jane told me.

I know in the morning, Mal got angry, cause she was that way with me. But spray painting those three old words did not make sense, because that was not her anymore. I didn't buy any of it. I know Audrey would like to be with me, and I'm beginning to think she'll try what she can to get me to be mad at Mal. Well it won't work. Because my love for Mal is strong and always will be.

I locked the door for I didn't want anymore visitors today. I want to spend some quality time with my girl. We kissed and made love for awhile after. When dinner time arrived, we went to the city to eat and then came back. We got out of our clothes, had sex and slipped into our nightdresses. We laid next to each other in bed, holding hands and giving kisses.

"Oh, E!" Mal exclaimed, startling me a little.

"What, M?" I asked.

"I want to show you something." she said.

As Mal got out of bed, I smiled as I caught a glimpse of her bare bottom. Mal walked back to the bed with her sketchbook in her hands. I sat up as she sat next to me. She opened the sketchbook to a page and handed it to me. It was her drawings of her dream house. There were eight detailed pages

"Wow, baby. These are amazing." I said.

"Hopefully one day. It'll be a reality." Mal said.

"It will baby. It will." I said.

I handed Mal back the book and she put it on the nightstand and we cuddled close to each other and fell asleep.


	26. The Calm Before The Storm

_The Calm Before The Storm_

[_Auradon Prep. 8:45 am_]

Evie's POV

The next morning arrived. We got up and got ready for the school day. After Mal and I ate breakfast, we noticed we had some time left over. So we went for a little walk around campus. As we took our walk and enjoying the beautiful morning, we noticed more fish posters around. We stopped and looked at a poster of a tuna that was attached to the side of a building.

"This doesn't make any sense. Who would do this? Who would waste paper like this?" I asked.

"Well, Auradon has everything it needs." Mal said.

"Yeah, but this can't last forever." I said.

We walked to the school's main entrance and walked inside the massive castle. We noticed a bunch of students standing around the tourney trophy case. We walked up to them and couldn't believe what we were seeing.

"Oh my god." I said.

"I knew this was going to happen." Mal said as she laughed.

Someone has turned the glass trophy case box into a full blown freshwater fish tank with real fish swimming around. Like literary. It takes a lot of work to do something like this, and I can't believe someone or some people pulled it off overnight. Because it was not like that yesterday after school.

"Mal, be honest, and I know you are, but I have to ask. Did you have anything to do with this?" I asked.

"No, Evie, I swear. Cross my heart." Mal said.

"Okay. I just want to make sure." I said.

"I swear I didn't."

"Okay, baby. I believe you."

We kissed a few times. The kisses felt so good, we both moaned quietly to each other as we kissed some more. Afterwards, we left to walk to our lockers. But along the way, Ben approached us.

"Good morning, Mal. Good morning, Evie." he said.

"Hi." Mal said.

"Good morning." I said.

"May I talk to you both in my office?" he asked.

"Um, sure." Mal said.

"Yeah, no problem." I said.

Mal's POV

We followed Ben to his office. I figured the only reason he would call us in, is to talk about me. And I was right, like the last time he called us in.

"Now, Mal. I'm growing very concerned about you. I understand you are having some difficult times. Is there anything I can do to help?" Ben asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Ben sighed.

"Ben, what's going on?" Evie asked.

"You both seen the new fish posters around campus? And the trophy case?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, we seen them." I said.

"Well, we finally know who's responsible." Ben said.

"Well that's good. This craziness can finally come to an end." Evie said.

"Indeed. The people responsible is a group of freshman boys. But I've called you in because...Mal, we know you're involved."

Evie and I had shocked look on our face.

"What?! No, I'm not involved in this fish stuff." I said.

"Mal-"

"She's right. I mean, how could she be? I would know if Mal was involved. Believe me, she wouldn't have been able to leave the room last night without me knowing." Evie said.

"Then you must know." Ben said.

"Know what?" Evie asked.

"Mal was involved with last night." Ben said.

I scoffed.

"Yeah, right. It's true I admire their work, but I was in no way involved with them." I said.

"I'm with Mal. There is no way she was involved. This has to be a mistake." Evie said.

Ben pulled out a laptop from his desk and opened it. On the screen showed a paused video of the school's entrance with a view of the trophy case.

"I thought so too. And I believed it, until I saw this." Ben said.

"What is that?" Evie asked.

"We put up some cameras around campus to catch those people in the act. And not only did we learn who did it, but we captured some disturbing things Mal did as well." Ben said.

Ben pressed the play button and Evie and I watched the video. Like I said, it showed the school's entrance inside where the trophy case was. The video showed the group of boys, five total, opening the trophy case, taking the trophies out, and one boy walking up with some building materials. Ben fast forward the video to where I came in. I was absolutely shocked when I saw myself. I was completely dressed, and I had a can of green spray paint in my left hand.

"_Hey, guys._" I said to the boys.

"_Oh hi! You're Mal! _" said one boy.

"_I am." _I said.

"_Wow, it's a pleasure to meet you._"

"_Please. No need to be formal. What are you guys up to?_"

"_We're going to turn this trophy case into an aquarium._"

"_Would you like to join us?_" asked another boy.

"_Sure. Actually, I'd be honored to help you. I admire your work._" I said.

The boys were shown cheering and Ben fast forward the video to three hours later, when the trophy aquarium was complete. I looked at Evie, who had her head resting on her hands with her eyes closed.

"Mal, I can't understand why you would help them with that. And worst, why you would lie about it?" Ben asked.

I stuttered. I was at a loss for words. I could not believe this. I don't remember any of that. And that was last night.

"There's one more thing you need to see." Ben said.

Evie looked up as Ben played another video. This one was outside the library building. It showed me spray painting the words "long live evil" on the side of the building. And it also showed me helping the boys put up lots more posters.

"I'm sorry, Evie. But Mal has been lying to you." Ben said.

"Clearly." Evie said.

She got up from the chair and faced the side of the room. I got up and got in front of her.

"Evie, I don't remember doing this." I said.

"You don't? Mal! There is proof. They have video evidence of you vandalizing school grounds." Evie said.

"But I don't remember that. I don't remember being there last night. And meeting those boys, and helping them!"

"Just like you don't remember having a temper in your class and at the library yesterday?"

"Yes!"

Evie scoffed. She doesn't believe me. But then, how could she? There is video of me doing what I did. But I really don't remember. I felt really bad as I saw Evie starting to cry.

"Evie, you have to believe me." I said.

"I'm sorry, Mal. But I don't." she said.

"Evie."

"No. I can't believe _you._ You lied to me. I asked you if you had anything to do with all this. Twice. And you looked me in the face and told me no. You lied to me in my face. You swore you didn't, many times. But you did."

Now I feel like I could cry.

"When were those cameras set up, Ben?" Evie asked Ben.

"Yesterday evening." Ben replied.

"So we don't know prior to last night. But, I can't say I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't involved in this whole fish business from the very beginning." Evie said.

"But, Evie, I wasn't!" I shouted.

"Don't raise your voice at me. It's not even the end of the first week. Not the end of the first damn week, and you have to start causing trouble. Well, this time, it's come back to bite you. Hopefully you'll learn to behave from now on. Because, believe me, your anger issues are hard enough to deal with." Evie said.

I sat back in the chair and started to softly cry. Evie paced around the room, unable to think clearly.

"I'm really sorry it has to come to this. But I felt you deserve to know, Evie. Believe me, I didn't want it this way." Ben said.

"No, it's okay. I appreciate that Ben. She's in your hands now. You're king, and you do what you feel is right. Hopefully Mal will learn this time." Evie said.

Evie grabbed her bag.

"Is alright if I go? I really need to step out and get some fresh air." she said.

"Yes, go ahead." Ben replied.

"Evie, don't go. Please." I said.

Evie walked over to the door and put her hands on the door handle.

"I'm sorry, Mal. But I have too. This is too much stress for me. I still love you, Mal. I really do. It's just I'm very disappointed in you right now."

I shouted Evie's name as she left, but she didn't come back.

Evie's POV

I softly cried as I walked down the hallway in the administration building to the outside. I rested against a wall and tried to get myself together. But it hurt me that Mal lied to me. I kept thinking that maybe I'm being overly dramatic about this, but I couldn't shake off the feelings I was having. After I arrived at science, Mr Deley asked me where Mal was and I told she was with Ben. But no more. However, I was miserable during my classes up to lunch. A feeling I have not had in a long time.

Mal's POV

Lunch time arrived and I was allowed to eat at the cafeteria, but only supervised by a school staff member. I felt like I was a prisoner. Being escorted from place to place. I felt innocent. But I guess I wasn't. Even though I have no memory of last night. The last thing I remember is falling asleep next to Evie. I don't remember getting up and getting dressed and walking to the school campus. None of that. But it didn't help me. No matter how much I emphasize it. No one believes me.

My supervisor, as I'm calling it, allowed me to roam freely in the cafeteria, but is blocking the door so I can't escape. Not that I would. Not without Evie. I looked around and saw Evie at a table. I quickly walked over to her and saw Audrey sitting by her.

"Hey, Evie!" I said.

Evie looked at me, unamused by the sight of me.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"And how did you get away with what you did?" Audrey asked.

"I didn't. I got detention for the rest of the day." I replied.

"That's it?" Audrey asked.

"For now. Ben will call me up tomorrow morning before first period to discuss my punishment. Wait. Evie, you told her?"

"I had to. I needed to talk to someone. And Audrey is the first person I thought of." Evie said.

"I hope your punishment will be more dire than the last." Audrey said.

I scoffed at Audrey.

"Evie, may I talk to you? Alone?" I asked.

"Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of Audrey. She knows everything." Evie said, leaning back and crossing her arms.

Sadness struck me again. I felt like I was unable to speak.

"Well? Out with it." Evie said.

I still was unable to speak.

"Come on, stop wasting her time." Audrey said.

"Never mind. You wouldn't listen." I said.

"I'm listening right now." Evie said.

"You wouldn't believe me." I said.

"What? You don't remember?" Evie asked.

I sniffed and walked away. I walked into the bathroom and cried quietly in front of the mirror. I then wiped my tears as I heard a toilet flush. I straightened my hair and looked normal as possible when I saw a stall door open. It was Lonnie.

"Hi, Mal!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Hi, Lonnie!" I greeted back, as cheerful as possible.

I thought I did a good job, but Lonnie instantly saw through me.

"What's wrong? You look like you've been crying." she said.

I scoffed.

"I wasn't crying. It's just allergies." I said.

"Everyone says that. Now come on. We're best friends. You know you can talk to me." she said.

I sighed and felt okay with it. I look around the bathroom real quick to make sure we were the only ones. After seeing we were, and as Lonnie washed and dried her hands, I told her a quick summary of what happened this morning.

"And you don't remember any of it?" she asked.

"No. And what's worse is Evie doesn't believe me. Now, I'm not denying that I helped those boys, because clearly I did. But I'm telling the truth when I say I don't remember. And no one believes me."

"I believe you." Lonnie said.

That was unexpected.

"What?" I asked.

"I believe you. It's simple. You have memory loss, Mal. A condition that is quite unfortunate." she said.

"How do you know?"

"It happened to some many people where I'm from. Even my mom. In battle, or practicing, their head would sometimes get hit by something hard. Which causes temporary memory loss." Lonnie explained.

"But I didn't hit my head on anything recently." I said.

Lonnie felt my forehead.

"Yeah, you don't have any bumps." she said.

"It's a sound theory, Lonnie. But, I don't know." I said.

It was indeed a sound theory. But it wasn't an injury that caused me not to remember. Or do the things I did.

"Well, nevertheless, I believe you. And I'm here for you."

"Thank you, Lonnie. That means a lot to me. You've been there a lot for me."

"And I always will. You're my best friend, Mal. Even like a sister to me. I'll always have your back."

Hearing that made me start to cry. But tears of joy. Lonnie pulled me into a tight hug and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I smiled as I really needed that.

"I'll tell you what." she said after the hug.

"What?" I asked.

"How about we hang out after school today? I need to set up the gym for a Swords and Shields team practice for tomorrow. How about you meet me at the gym afterschool and you can help me set things up? It's something you and I can do together."

"Sure, I'd love too. Thanks, Lonnie." I said.

"You're welcome. Have you eaten yet?"

"No."

"Neither have I. Shall we eat together?" Lonnie asked.

"Sure." I said. We walked out of the bathroom and walked to the buffet table and got some sandwiches, fruit, juice and some chocolate candy. I looked at my supervisor as my supervisor looked at me.

"Is that your escort?" Lonnie asked.

I sighed.

"Yeah, unfortunately." I said.

Lonnie did the best she could to get me to enjoy my lunch and the time I was having with her. After we ate, and the bell sounded off, we both hugged each other and gave each other a kiss on the cheek.

"Remember: gym, afterschool." Lonnie said.

"I won't forget." I said.

We hugged one more time.

"Bye, Mal."

"Bye, Lonnie. Thank you."

Lonnie smiled and waved before leaving the cafeteria. I was in the detention room for the rest of the day. But the thought of being with Lonnie afterschool and her believing me kept me going. One thing I didn't understand, she didn't seem upset that I vandalized the school and helped those boys. I'll have to ask her that later. Before I'd forget, I sent Evie a text telling her that I won't be at the dorm afterschool for I was going to be with Lonnie.

"_How do I know you're not lying to me?_" Evie said.

"_You can ask her to confirm if you'd like._" I said.

It was a few minutes before I got a reply.

"_Fine. Just don't tick her off too._"

I imagined Evie directly saying that to me and it made me sad.

Evie's POV

Mal and I never spoke to each other again for the rest of the day. When school was over, I went to my locker to put some things away.

"How are you doing?" a female voice asked.

I turned and saw Audrey.

"Oh, Audrey. I'm, I'm alright." I said.

"Are you?" Audrey asked.

"As well as I can be." I replied.

"Yeah. I hate to see you upset. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever seen you upset before." Audrey said.

"I never really had a reason. Until now."

I closed by locker and picked up my bag.

"How about you come over to my room right now, and I'll make us some tea to help you relax?" Audrey said.

"I don't know, Audrey." I said.

"Please, Evie? You're under a lot of stress. And you know it's not good for you. I promise you won't regret it. Plus, I'll make you some more of my delicious cookies."

I laughed.

"You had to bring that up?" I asked.

Audrey smiled and shrugged.

"Alright. Let's go." I said.

Audrey put her arm around me and we walked to her dorm room.

Mal's POV

As I was walking to the gym, I kept checking my phone. Throughout the day, I checked my phone for any messages from Evie whenever I got the chance. I miss her very much, and I wished she would talk to me. I opened the double doors that were at the building's entrance. I jumped when they slammed shut. After walking a little more, I saw Lonnie.

"Hey." I said.

Lonnie smiled as she looked at me.

"Mal!" she exclaimed.

She ran up to me and hugged me.

"I'm so glad you're here!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Me too. Thanks for inviting me." I said as I hugged her back.

"Of course!" Lonnie said.

We spent about an hour moving things around and cleaning up the gym. As I was moving a box of masks around, the door was heard opened and we saw Chad walk in. I wasn't bothered by the sight of him since he doesn't bother me anymore.

"Hello, Chad. What are you doing here?" Lonnie asked.

"I left my gloves behind. I came to get them." Chad said.

"Okay. I think I saw them over there." Lonnie said, pointing in a direction by me.

Chad looked that way and saw me.

"Oh great. I didn't know _that_ was going to be here!" he said.

"That?" I asked.

Chad walked a little closer to me, but still kept his distance.

"Yeah, you." he said.

I glared at Chad. But this was the last thing I remember for a couple minutes. I wasn't told what I did until after the fact. It started with my eyes glowing bright green. And it freaked out Chad and concerned Lonnie. I walked over to where Chad's gloves were and picked them up.

"Let me show you what "that" can do." I said.

I ran up to Chad and threw his gloves right at him. Chad barely caught them and looked horrified as I was standing in front of him.

"Don't ever disrespect me again. Or I will hurt you. Badly." I said.

Chad nodded and ran out of the gym. That was the end of my little manic episode and I returned back to normal.

"Mal?"

I jumped when Lonnie's hand touched my shoulder. I turned around and saw her step back with her hands up.

"Oh, hey, Lonnie." I said.

"Are-are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I looked around the gym.

"Where did Chad go?" I asked.

Lonnie looked puzzled.

"Um, you just scared him off. You were...well...not yourself." she said.

"What are you talking about? What did I do?" I asked.

"Your eyes. They were glowing bright green, and you threw his gloves at him and told him you would hurt him if he ever disrespected you again." Lonnie said.

I rubbed my forehead trying to remember. It just happened, and I can't remember it.

"You don't remember, do you?" Lonnie asked.

I sighed and nodded.

"No. I can't." I replied.

Lonnie held my hands and looked at me.

"Mal, I think I know what's going on with you." she said.

"What?" I asked.

"I think you're under a spell."

I stood there, confused.

"A spell?" I asked.

"It only makes sense around here. Not all the time, but certain times." she said.

"But how?" I asked.

"I don't know. But I'm worried about you, Mal."

"But if that's the case, then that explains why I couldn't remember yesterday's and last night's events. And why I did the things I did. Because I would never truly do them."

"Something is influencing your actions and behavior."

"I have to figure out what it is. But I should tell Evie." I said.

I took out my phone and was about to call her, but I stopped myself.

"No. She wouldn't believe me. She would just tell me I'm making things up." I said.

I put my phone away and looked at a window.

"I'll help you, Mal." Lonnie said.

"I know, Lonnie. Thank you. But let's continue our time together. I'll think about this later." I said.

"Are you sure?" Lonnie asked.

"Yes. I'll be alright. I think. Besides, if whatever just happened happens again, I'll have you not only as a witness, but also one to stop me. I know I can count on you." I said.

Lonnie gave me a hug.

"You sure can." she said.

The rock from the mountain is what's causing me these little episodes. Only we didn't discover that until a few days later. After more damages were already done. After we finished setting things up, Lonnie invited me to her dorm. I didn't really want to, for I was afraid I would do something, but Lonnie said it'll be okay. So I willingly went along with her.

We arrived at her dorm room a little later. We passed mine and Evie's along the way. Lonnie asked if I wanted to see Evie, but I told her no because I didn't feel quite ready to see Evie. Not that I couldn't anyway since she wasn't there. Only I didn't know that until later. I was impressed on how Lonnie had her room set up. Signs were obvious that she likes hip hop, but there were also some posters of chinese writings that intrigued me.

Lonnie told me more about her and her family and where she grew up. She told me some things I never knew about her and I told her a few things about me. We later had dinner together and just hung out. However, I fell asleep in her bed and woke up a couple hours later. It was dark outside and I panicked.

"Mal, it's okay. You're alright." Lonnie said.

"But I fell asleep here and-"

"Mal, relax. It's okay." Lonnie said.

She had me sit down and breath.

"You needed the nap, Mal. You had a rough day." she said.

"Yeah. I do feel a little better." I said.

"There, see? Now, I was about to have some ice cream. Would you like some?" she asked.

"Um, sure. That does sound good." I said.

Lonnie walked over to a small refrigerator and took a tub of ice cream out. She grabbed two bowls and filled them, and lastly got two spoons and walked back over and sat next to me.

"Here you go. It's strawberry." Lonnie said as she handed me the bowl.

I laughed.

"You know I like that." I said.

"I do." Lonnie said.

We spent a few minutes quietly eating our ice cream. After having another bowl, Lonnie put the tub back in the mini fridge and sat back down next to me. It was then something went off in me. Not more memory loss, but something else. I looked at Lonnie with admiration and couldn't help but feel what I was feeling.

"You know, I don't think I ever told you this, but you're beautiful."

"Oh! Well, thank you, Mal. You're beautiful too." Lonnie said.

"No. I mean, you're really beautiful." I said.

I took Lonnie's hands and held them close to me and looked into her eyes.

"I love your brown eyes. They're so nice." I said.

"Oh, um-"

"No need to say anything. Just be pretty for me."

I let go of Lonnie's hands and felt her thighs. Then my hands went to her sides. Lonnie looked at me with a very confused expression. Everytime Lonnie tried to say something, I hushed her.

"You have a nice shape. And a cute face." I said.

I cupped her face in my hands and leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. After the kiss, I left Lonnie completely shocked.

"Mal." she said.

"Shh. It's okay, E. No one will know." I said.

I pushed Lonnie down and almost got on top of her, when she grabbed me by my arms.

"Mal, stop, please." Lonnie said.

I didn't. When I went to kiss her again, Lonnie pushed me off of her. She tried to push me to the other side of the bed. But instead, I lost my balance and fell off the bed and onto the floor. It was then I snapped out of it and realized what I had done. I quickly got up and gasped.

"Oh my god. No." I said.

I walked backwards in the room until I hit a wall. Lonnie got up and walked towards me.

"Oh my god. What have I done?" I said.

I fell to the floor and started crying. Lonnie kneeled down to me.

"Mal. It's okay, sweetheart. It's alright." she said.

"No it's not. I kissed you. Against your will. God, I was just like Audrey!" I said.

"Audrey?"

I felt really disgusted with myself.

"Yes. She tried to make a move on Evie, except she didn't. But I made a move on you. I'm so sorry, Lonnie. I really am." I said.

I cried even harder as Lonnie held me in her arms. She rubbed my back and shushed me.

"Relax, Mal. It's okay. It's okay." Lonnie said.

After a couple minutes, I was able to get myself under control. Lonnie grabbed some tissues and sat on the floor next to me.

"I noticed what you called me." Lonnie said.

"You what?" I asked.

"What you called me. You called me 'E'. Isn't that Evie's nickname to you?"

"Yes."

"I don't blame you for doing what you did. You miss Evie a lot. Don't you?"

I sniffed and wiped my tears with a tissue.

"I do. Very much." I replied.

"Then go to her." Lonnie said.

"Go to her?"

"Yes. Go back to your room. Cause I'm sure she's there. Go back and talk to her. I'm sure you two can work things out. Your love for each other is very strong. And I know you both will be okay."

I nodded and got up.

"You're right, Lonnie. I'll talk to her. It may be a long talk. But in the end, we'll make up. We always did." I said.

Lonnie stood up.

"Atta girl." she said.

I gave Lonnie one last hug.

"Thanks so much, Lonnie. For everything." I said.

"You're welcome, Mal. Anytime." Lonnie said.

Lonnie walked me out and we waved to each other as I began the walk back to my dorm room.


	27. Quarrel

_Quarrel_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 8:43 pm_]

Mal's POV

I'll say this now. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could have prepared myself or Evie for what was about to happen. I eagerly returned back to our room to see Evie. After I took my jacket off and hung it up, I noticed Evie sitting at her sewing desk, leaned back in the chair with her arms folded.

"Hi, Evie!" I said, happily.

But that happiness went away quick.

"About time you get back. Where have you been?" Evie asked sternly.

I slowly walked more into the room. She's still unhappy with me.

"I told you, I was going to be with Lonnie." I replied.

"Yes. But you didn't say you were going to be with her this long."

I sat down at the dining table.

"I was still with her. This whole time." I said.

Evie sighed and got up to walk over to me.

"Mal, what is going on with you? And don't tell me it's nothing, because it is definitely something."

"I feel like I've heard that before." I said.

"That's because we're in a similar situation. I thought we were past this."

"Past what?"

Evie sighed and sat at the table across from me.

"Ben talked to me again today alone to talk about you and your behavior. He said for me to really work with you, like I haven't been doing that, to help get yourself in check."

Starting to feel frustrated, I slammed my right hand on the table.

"See, I kept hearing this. "Mal, you did this". "Mal, you did that". "Mal, what is going on with you". Why am I being told all these things?"

"Because of your behavior, Mal!"

"What behavior?!"

"Mal!"

Now Evie was starting to feel frustrated. Since I had no memory of the events, it doesn't help me in any way. We sat in silence for a little bit. Evie rested her head on her hands.

"Mal, please. You shouldn't have a need to lie to me. You know you can tell me anything and everything." she said in a normal voice tone.

"I'm not, Evie. I swear, I'm telling you the truth. I really have no idea what's going on." I said softly.

"Okay. You swear. Okay. If that's your final word. Then okay." Evie said, putting her hands up.

I was then about to tell Evie about Lonnie's suspicion, when there was a knock at the door. Evie walked over to the door and opened it. It was Audrey. This is when things start to get heated.

"Hi, Evie! Sorry to bother you at this time." she said.

"That's okay. I don't mind. What's going on?" Evie asked.

Audrey held up a light blue small bag.

"You forgot your makeup bag. It wouldn't be good if you woke up in the morning and you didn't have this." Audrey said.

"No, of course not. Thank you so much." Evie said.

"You're very welcome. I got you, fam."

The way Audrey was acting towards Evie really started to get me angry. Not the words she was using, well except "fam". When does she ever call anyone that? But she was smiling at Evie. I don't know how to describe it. But the way she was smiling at Evie made me upset.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up! Evie, when were you at Audrey's?" I asked as I approached them.

"Earlier today." Evie replied.

"Yeah. She was so stressed out about you, I had her come over to my dorm room so she can relax." Audrey said.

"Really? Anything else you would care to tell me, Evie?" I asked.

"She doesn't have to tell you everything." Audrey said.

"Oh, yes she does! Cause I have to tell her everything!"

"Mal, enough!" Evie exclaimed.

She took the makeup bag from Audrey.

"Thank you, Audrey. I appreciate it." Evie said.

"You're welcome, Evie. I'd wish you a good night, but…"

Audrey looked over at me, before looking back at Evie.

"It's okay, Audrey. Good night." Evie said.

"Good night."

I clenched my fists after I saw Audrey kiss Evie on her right cheek. Audrey walked away and Evie closed the door.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"What was what?" Evie asked.

"That kiss she just gave you?!"

Evie scoffed.

"It was a friendly kiss, Mal. It's something some girls do. Not that I'd expect you to understand."

Yes, Lonnie and I kissed each other many times on the cheek, but those were different because Lonnie doesn't have a crush on me.

"Okay, fine. Whatever. I'll ask you this again. Is there anything else you would care to tell me?" I asked.

"How about you tell me-"

"No, no. I'll talk to you after you talk to me." I said.

Evie walked over to her sewing table and placed the makeup bag down.

"Talk, Evie!" I said.

Evie sighed. She didn't say anything because she was trying to think of the best way to tell me something. Only I interpreted the silence for a whole completely different and wrong way.

"Oh my god. You're cheating on me, aren't you?!" I asked.

"No!" Evie screamed.

She threw her arms up in disbelief.

"No, Mal! No. I-I can't believe that you-that you would say that!" Evie said.

"It's obvious, Evie. It makes perfect sense." I said.

"Okay, stop! You stop right there! That is completely preposterous! I would never, never, cheat on you! I told you so many times, I love you, and I will always love you! I meant that."

"So you have. But there's one problem with that." I said.

"And what's that?" Evie asked.

"Audrey."

"Audrey?"

"You've been hanging out with her a lot lately. Spending time with her. You have two classes with her. And no doubt you both sit next to each other in both classes. She's become your new best friend."

"Yes, Mal. She's my friend."

"Or is she something more? I've seen how she looks at you sometimes. And that kiss. Oh, that kiss."

Evie slammed her hands on the sewing table. She was now pissed off. And I regret saying everything I said tonight. I haven't made Evie mad is a very, very, long time.

"Mal, let me tell you something. You're my girlfriend and Audrey is my best friend! You were my best friend once. But you should be happy because you're more than that! A lot more!" she yelled.

I unexpectedly started to laugh. The rock's energy was starting to affect my emotions and thoughts even more now. But not so much, because I still remember what happens next.

"What's so funny?!" Evie asked.

"You know, I sometimes wonder how we got to where we are today. I hated you because you didn't invite me to your sixth birthday party. So how did we become best friends? And how the hell did we fall in love? It just doesn't make any sense." I said.

"You know exactly how." Evie said.

I scoffed.

"Yeah, whatever." I said.

Evie slammed her hands on the desk a final time. And this is where things go for the worse.

"Are you going to keep doing that?" I asked.

"You know, I can't believe I'm going to agree to this. But it's true. She's right. She is so right." Evie said.

"What? Who is right?" I asked.

"What Audrey told me earlier is absolutely correct. Because you have just confirmed it." Evie said.

"What?!" I asked again.

"You can be a complete bitch. And you're being a bitch right now."

I felt anger inside again. Except this feeling was stronger. But what really got me is what Evie just said. She rarely cusses. And when she does, she means business.

"What did you just say to me?" I asked.

"Quiet, Mal. Now you're going to hear me talk. I have tried so hard lately to help you. To help you deal with your anger, your sadness, your depression. And I feel like you have just totally ignored everything that I have told you. You have just basically wasted my time. I wonder if Audrey is right? Why do I waste my time on you when there is someone out there that can be a whole lot better than you?"

I raised my brows in surprise.

"Oh, so now you to break up with me?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"No. That's not at all what I'm saying." Evie replied.

"Then what are you saying?" I asked.

"I'm saying, that clearly, you aren't well at all. I've tried everything I could to help you and it didn't work. Therefore...we should take a break from each other. Taking a break in our relationship can give you the space and time you need to contemplate on what you need to do to help yourself feel better."

I stood there, stunned by what Evie has just said. I glared at her before saying my response.

"You are the _dumbest_, smart person I have ever known in my life!" I said, throwing my arms down.

"Nice one."

"How can taking a break help me and what makes Audrey so much goddamn better than me?!"

"Well first off, she's not irritable or immature like you can be. Plus unlike you, she doesn't try to start an argument every time she sees you." Evie replied.

"So she's better for you? I'm nothing but a bitch to you."

"Mal, stop! It doesn't mean I don't love you. Because I still do. I will always love you. I just want what's best for you. That's all."

Evie walked closer to me, but I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back, causing her to fall to the floor. I then walked over by the door and grabbed my jacket, but took out my phone. Evie watched me as I threw it to my bed. I didn't want her to track me down and follow me. I put my jacket on and grabbed the door handle. Before opening it, I looked at Evie. She looked at me with a sad expression. Her eyes had tears in them, and she looked like she was about to cry.

And for the next few days, that would be the last time I remember seeing her. I looked back at the door. I opened it and walked out of the dorm room and slammed the door behind me. The last thing I remember is walking out of the dorm building to the outside. The rock's power is now in full effect. I was now possessed by my mother's power.


	28. Moving Forward

_Moving Forward_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 9:24 pm_]

Evie's POV

I laid in my bed, crying heavily after the argument we just had. I can't believe this. I cannot believe what just happened. Mal and I, we got along so great. What could've led this to happen? I got up and looked out the window, hoping to see Mal. But I didn't. Even if I did, she wouldn't have noticed me and there would be nothing I could do to stop her. I wanted her to come back. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry for all that I had said. But it would be no use now. I'll have to wait until she comes back. Hopefully she comes back. I continued to cry until I fell asleep.

The next morning, I got up and looked at my phone and saw it was Friday. I looked around the dorm and seen no signs that Mal has returned back. I looked at the clock and saw it was seven. I know that I must get ready for school. So I did. I took a shower. While in it, I tried to relax by enjoying the feeling of the water spraying on me. It worked a little bit. I dried myself off and applied makeup, straightened my hair and got dressed and ready. I looked at the mirror and saw that I looked great, but of course, I didn't feel that way.

I grabbed my things and my bag and headed out to the cafeteria. As I was walking there, I saw it was almost eight thirty, and at this time it would be too late to go to the cafeteria, get what you want, come back to the dorm, eat, then come back to the campus. Last time I did this, Mal was with me. So I know I will get question to where she's at. And I'll have no choice but to tell them the truth. Or would I?

[_Auradon Prep. 8:35 am_]

Carlos' POV

I saw Evie walk into the cafeteria. She had her hands folded in front of her and was walking in slowly. She seemed fine to other students, but I could tell something was bothering her. I carefully approached her.

"Morning, Evie." I greeted.

"Good morning, Carlos. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm also good."

Evie was acting so good, she could've fooled me.

"Good. Would you like to hang with me for a little bit? I already ate, but I'd like to keep you company if you don't mind." I said.

"Yeah, okay, sure." Evie said.

She grabbed a plate and put some eggs and sausage on it and I led Evie outside where it was nice and quiet. We sat down on some stairs and I waited until Evie had finished eating before I ask her what's bothering her.

"Oh, I forgot to get something to drink. Do you mind getting something for me?" Evie asked.

"No, of course not. What would you like?" I asked.

Evie shrugged.

"Orange juice?"

"You got it."

I walked back inside. After I filled a cup with orange juice, I returned back to Evie. She had finished eating. After handing Evie the cup, she took a few sips and sat it down next to her and looked out into the scenery in front of her. I decided now's the time.

"Where's Mal?" I asked.

Evie hesitated to answer.

"Mal and I…"

"Had a fight?" I asked.

Evie quickly looked at me.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I've seen you act this way before. Except it was a long time ago. Back when we were younger and were still living on the Isle. Remember back? You and Mal had a few arguments."

Evie sighed.

"Yeah, but none of them compared to last night. Last night was the worst."

"You want to talk about it?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not really."

"That's okay. Where's Mal? Back at your room?"

Evie closed her eyes for a couple seconds. After opening them, there were tears visible.

"I don't know where she is, Carlos. She left last night because I suggested we should take a break." she said.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Because I thought it would be good for her. For her to have some space so she can focus on what she needs to do to help herself feel better. And instead, I more likely made her think we broke up." Evie replied.

"Evie, it's not your fault. You were trying your best, that's all."

"No, it is. I also said some mean things that I care not to talk about right now."

Evie was getting a little flustered.

"Okay. You don't have to talk about it anymore. But one more thing. When is Mal coming back?" I asked.

"I don't know, Carlos. All I know is that she left her phone behind, so I can't track her."

Evie then started to cry a little. I put my arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I guess I had no right to ask you all that." I said.

"No, you did. Mal's your sister. And you have every right to know what's going with her. If you want to try and find her, you're more than welcome to." Evie said.

"It's okay. Mal will come back when she's cooled off. Like I said, I've seen you both like this before. Mal probably found a good hiding spot. Like she did back on the Isle. She likes to be alone sometimes. And she'll come back when she's ready." I said.

"But what about school? She's going to miss her classes."

"There's nothing we can do about that right now. She'll come back. She always does."

"Right. It wouldn't make much sense in trying to find her. Better to just leave her be."

"Yes, but in the meantime, you're my sister too. Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked.

Evie softly smiled.

"I'll be okay. Well, actually, when lunch time comes, and if Mal isn't back, which she most likely won't, may I be with you at that time? The last time I had to eat lunch alone, it didn't go so well." Evie said.

"Of course, Evie."

Evie smiled again. Except this smile was bigger. The passing period bell sounded off.

"Thanks, Carlos. I love you." Evie said.

"I love you too, Evie."

We got up and hugged. I helped Evie with her bag and we both waved bye to each other as we went separate ways. I was going to offer to walk Evie to her class, but her science class is in the opposite direction of where my first class is. And I didn't want to make her worry that she might make me late.

Evie's POV

The rest of the day went horrible for me. The teachers all asked me where Mal was, and I lied and told them she was sick. But I know I can only do that for so long. Every passing period, I spend a few minutes trying to find her. But I know she's probably nowhere on campus. I spent lunch time with Carlos. And he tried his best to cheer me up. And the only responses I gave was a soft smile.

After school, Carlos had me come to the tourney field to watch him and Jay practice playing tourney. Carlos filled Jay in and he tried his best to cheer me up, but a soft smile was all he got as well. I so tried to put my mind on a different thought, but it didn't work. Later, the three of us ate dinner together in their dorm room. Which felt nice, since we don't always eat together, but in the middle of eating, I had the thought of Mal being there as well and envisioned us four being together again. I started to cry again. Carlos and Jay tried to comfort me the best they can.

After dinner, they invited me to spend the night with them. I declined the offer, but they insisted. They didn't want me to be alone and cry myself to sleep, which was a good possibility. I accepted the offer and went back to my dorm to change into my nightdress and grabbed my makeup bag and brush, as well as a few other things. As I was walking back to the boys' side of the dorm building, I was worried that someone might see me and question me. And I didn't feel like explaining myself. Luckily, no one was around since it was starting to get late. I arrived back at Jay and Carlos' room and walked in to them arguing about where I should sleep. There were only two beds, and they both agreed that it wouldn't be right for me to sleep on their couch.

"I think Evie should sleep with me." Carlos said.

"Well how come you get her? You're always hanging out with her. I think it's my turn to spend some time with her."

"Boys, please. Don't argue anymore. I've had enough of that." I said as I sat in a chair to take my shoes off.

"See? Look what you did. You made her even more upset." Carlos said.

"Me? We both did. Don't pin this all on me." Jay said.

"Boys, please!" I said again.

"I'm sorry, Evie." said Carlos.

"Yeah, sorry." said Jay.

I sighed and grabbed Carlos' left hand and Jay's right hand.

"I really appreciate you both. Thank you." I said.

"You're welcome, Evie." said Carlos.

"Yeah, whatever you need from us. We'll be here." Jay said.

I gave them both a hug and walked back to the chair to grab my phone and charger.

"That's a nice looking nightdress, Evie. Did you make it yourself?" Carlos asked.

"I did." I replied as I plugged the charger into an outlet.

"Did you make one for Mal too?" Jay asked.

"Yeah. But she's probably sleeping outside for the second night, on the ground...With no one to comfort her...And to kiss her goodnight." I said.

Carlos hit Jay in the arm.

"Nice going. Our goal is to help her. Not make her feel worse." he said.

"I wasn't trying to. I was trying to help her by getting her to think of a happy memory, that's all." Jay say.

"And I appreciate that." I said.

I went to the bathroom to remove my makeup and brush my hair. I then walked out and saw Carlos and Jay both standing in front of their own beds.

"Not trying to pressure you anymore, but who are you going to sleep with?" Carlos asked.

This was kind of uncomfortable for me. I mean, I don't need to worry about either one trying to make a move on me since they both have girlfriends. That's not what I'm worried about. I don't really know how to explain it. I know they're only trying to help. Jay is right about something. I do spend more time with Carlos than I do with him. And I felt bad about that.

"I'll sleep with Jay tonight." I said.

"Sounds good." Jay said.

"Is that alright, Carlos?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's fine. Whatever is good with you." he said.

Carlos got in his bed and cover himself with his blanket. I hugged him and kissed him on the left cheek.

"Goodnight, Carlos. Love you." I said.

"Love you too, Evie. Goodnight." Carlos said.

I walked over to Jay's bed and laid on the left side, while Jay laid on the right.

"Where's my kiss goodnight?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh, right." I said.

Felt a little embarrassed that I forgot. I kissed Jay on the right cheek.

"Goodnight. Love you." I said.

"Love you too. Good night." Jay said.

He turned off the light and the boys fell asleep sooner than I did. I laid awake for about an hour. Thinking about Mal and wondering where she could be. I looked at the clock and saw it has been twenty-four hours since she left. And I was hoping that wherever she is, she's alright.


	29. Evie's Quest

_Evie's Quest_

[_Carlos and Jay's dorm room. 8:15 am_]

Evie's POV

"_Evie, I'm really glad I have you in my life. You truly are the best person I have ever met._"

"_Mal, you will always be loved. If not by anyone else, then definitely by me. I am the one person you can always count on. The one person who will always love you. And the one person who will always be there for you. No matter what._"

I suddenly woke up. I looked around, feeling scared. But then I calmed down when I realized I was still in Carlos and Jay's dorm room.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked as he was awoken by me.

"Nothing. I'm okay. Go back to sleep." I said.

I repositioned myself in bed and closed my eyes. Later, Jay woke me up shortly after eight. I sat up in bed, with a small headache. As Jay was in the shower, Carlos sat next to me.

"I'm kind of afraid to ask, but, how did you sleep?" he asked.

I felt like I was out of it. Hardly aware of my surroundings, but I heard Carlos speak to me.

"I don't know. I saw Mal in my dreams." I said.

"Really? How was she?" Carlos asked.

"It was kind of a flashback. When we went out and had a nice time together. When she was around me, she was mostly happy. There were times where she felt depressed, but I was always able to make her feel better. And now, I have ruined that. God, she must be out there somewhere feeling completely betrayed by me. Who knows what she's doing or how she's feeling." I said.

Carlos held me as I softly cried.

"You didn't mean any harm. You were only trying to help." he said.

"I think in the heat of the moment, I did mean harm. I mean, I called her a bitch. I told her, "why do I waste my time on you when there is someone out there that can be a whole lot better than you?". And I basically said Audrey is better than her. So right there, she has three reasons to run away."

I cried some more as Carlos hugged me tightly. My crying didn't last much longer though. I knew I couldn't sit around and cry all day. I had to do something. I have to find Mal. And I need to convince her to come back.

"I gotta find her. I need to." I said.

"What?" Carlos asked.

"I have to find Mal. I need to quickly get dressed and everything and go out there and find her."

"But you don't know where she could be. After all this time, she could literally be anywhere." Carlos said.

"I will search all of Auradon until I find her." I said.

I meant every word of that. Jay came out of the bathroom, all dressed.

"Whoa, what's going on?" he asked as he saw me pack my stuff.

"I'm going to find Mal." I said.

"What?"

"I'm going to back to the dorm to see if she's there. If not, I'm going to find her." I said.

"Evie, wait." Jay said.

I put my shoes on and grabbed my stuff and walked to the door.

"Thank you so much for letting me spend the night here. I really do appreciate it. I love you both very much."

"Wait, Evie! There's a school party happening later today on campus. Don't you want to be there?" Carlos asked.

"No. Mal is much more important. When people ask about me, tell them I'm sick as well. Now, I must go. Goodbye." I said.

I left the room and hurried across the building to the girls side to our dorm. This is happening suddenly, I know. But something is telling me I need to act fast. I arrived at the dorm room only to find no signs of Mal. Didn't matter. I will find her and bring her back. I did my morning routine and made sure I looked really nice so when I do find her, I'll make a good impression. I wore the same outfit as I did on the first day of summer break. The day when I first had sex with Mal. I know she loved me in that outfit. A blue lace shirt with a golden zipper down the middle. Blue tank top underneath. Expect for a black skirt, I decided to wear black jeans.

I put my shoes on and grabbed my phone, but what use would it be? I looked over at Mal's bed and saw hers laying on it. The memory of when she pushed me down and threw her phone on the bed came to me. But I shook it off and left the dorm building. I didn't bother going to the cafeteria for I was not hungry at all. I needed to find my love. So the first place I headed for was the Enchanted Lake.

I arrived at the lake and looked around while calling out Mal's name. I got no response. However at the ruins, I noticed something sparkling in the sunlight. I walked over to it and almost instantly cried. A golden bracelet that belonged to Mal. I picked it up and held it close to my chest.

"She was here. She definitely was here." I said.

I called Mal's name out a few more times, but heard no response. It was clear that she had left. Who knows how long ago? I continue to look around for any more signs that Mal was there. But there wasn't any.

"Oh, baby. Where did you go?"

I attached Mal's bracelet to my right wrist and thought about where else Mal could've gone. Auradon bay. She could've went there. I decided to go to all the places we went out for our dates. Because I have no other leads at this time. I quickly made my way to the next location.

I arrived at the bay and began to look around.

"Mal?! Mal?!" I yelled.

Still no response. I looked all along the ground for anymore of Mal's jewelry. I noticed another bracelet belonging to Mal. But no other signs of Mal. I attached the bracelet to my right arm near the other one. At this time I was very hungry so I went to the city to eat. While I was there, I asked some people if they have seen a girl with purple hair recently, but no one has seen her. Until I went to a store to buy something to eat. After paying I asked this woman who was running the store if she has seen Mal.

"The girl with the purple hair?"

"Yes! Have you seen her lately?" I asked.

"Why? Are you affiliated with her?"

"Well, she's my girlfriend. She ran away, and I need to find her. Why?"

I was getting a bad feeling now.

"She was here twice yesterday. Stealing from my store."

"What? When?"

"In the afternoon and in the evening. Both times she came in when I least expected."

"What did she take?"

"She grabbed a tote bag and filled it with food both times. But the second time she took a lighter and a flashlight. Plus a pack of batteries."

I stood there shocked to what I've been told. Sadness struck me.

"I'm-I'm really sorry. How much value do you think there was in everything she took?" I asked.

"I don't know. I didn't see everything she got."

I sighed, trying to hold in my urge to cry. I reached in my pocket and pulled out sixty dollars and handed it to the woman.

"Here. Hopefully this pays for at least most of it. I'm really sorry. I hope I can find her before she comes back again." I said.

"I hope so too."

I grabbed what I bought and left the store. I ran a little ways away before I stopped and started crying.

"Oh, Mal. How could you have done this? You didn't need to steal. This is all my fault."

I ate and continued to search for Mal. I walked around the city visiting every store and asking if anyone has seen Mal. But everyone I asked said they haven't. It seems that one store is the only one Mal has been at. As some time went by, I got texts from Carlos asking how I am. I told him that I'm alright. Nothing else. Later after that, I reached the end of a street and saw the mountain in the distance. She couldn't have gone there, could she? Well, it would be far from people. But how am I going to search there? By myself, it would take ages. However, since Mal stole a lighter, it means she'll use it to start a fire. A fire that'll keep her warm at night. And a fire can be easier to track at night.

I returned back to the dorm room and laid in my bed. I took a nap and woke up shortly after four. A knock at the door was what woke me up. I got up and walked over to the door. Hoping it was Mal, but she wouldn't knock. I opened the door and saw Lonnie.

"Lonnie?"

"Evie. What's going on? Where have you been?"

I let Lonnie in and closed the door.

"I've been...here. All day." I lied.

"Where's Mal? Have you found her yet?" Lonnie asked.

"No. I've looked in a couple places and all around the city but...wait. How…?"

"Carlos told me. He told me you and Mal had a fight and she left."

I sighed. I felt like I could cry again. Tears were forming in my eyes and Lonnie noticed. She pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back as I started to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Evie."

I held Lonnie tightly and continued to cry.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lonnie asked.

"Please. I need to find her." I replied.

"I'm with you, all the way." Lonnie said.

Lonnie is a true friend. I'm so grateful to have her in my life.

"Tell me what happened." Lonnie said.

We sat on my bed with Lonnie holding my hands, trying her best to comfort me.

"It was after Mal came back from being with you. I asked Mal what is going on with her and she told me nothing was and was asking why people were asking her that. Then Audrey showed up to give me back something I left behind at her dorm and then Mal accused me of cheating on her with Audrey and we just started to yell at each other. Then I called Mal a bitch. She got angry and pushed me to the floor and she left." I explained.

After saying all that, Lonnie was speechless.

"I..I don't know what to say." she said.

"It's okay. That's just a summary of what happened. But I feel so bad. I've said many things that I deeply regret. And I have to find her to tell her that I'm sorry. Even if she doesn't forgive me, I just want to let her know." I said.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. Let's go." Lonnie said.

We left the room and began to ask many of the students if they had seen Mal. And many of them thought I said she was sick. So I explained to them that Mal and I had an argument and Mal ran away. Unfortunately, no one has seen her. We walked out of the dorm building and looked at the school.

"She has to be around here somewhere. I'm just getting this feeling that she's close." Lonnie said.

"Same. I think we'll cover more ground if we split up." I said.

"Sounds good. I'll text you if I find her."

"And I'll do the same."

"Alright."

We split up. Lonnie went to the east side of the school and I went to the west. As I was searching, I was about to call out Mal's name, but stopped myself. If she hears her name being called out, she might run farther away, since she doesn't want to be found. I searched all around the school building and some of its surroundings. Over an hour later, I saw Lonnie at the tourney field.

"Hey, anything?" I asked as I approached her.

"No. Have you found her?" Lonnie asked.

"No, I haven't. But I have an idea where we should look." I said.

"Where?" Lonnie asked.

"The mountain."

"The mountain? Why there?"

"I went to the Enchanted Lake earlier and found her bracelet. I then went to the bay and found another one of her bracelets. She's been at the places where her and I had dates." I said.

"So why the mountain?"

"Because, to make a long story short, Mal had a dream about us living in a fabulous home that was in a forest. We went there for a day and she loved it. Earlier today, I was also at the city and was told by a store owner that Mal had shoplifted food, a lighter and a couple other things. Mal needs the lighter to make a fire. She could be up there. That's where she could've been sleeping."

"Okay. I see what you're saying."

"I know it's a lot to ask. But can you help me look for her up there? I can't do it alone." I said.

"Of course, Evie! Anything." Lonnie said.

I smiled. But as we were walking to the school building, we heard a scream and a yell for help. Wondering what was going on, Lonnie and I ran to where we think we heard the scream. As we were getting closer, we heard more screams and cries for help. We soon reached the location and saw that we were at the gardens. A student almost ran into us.

"Help us. She's insane!"

Lonnie and I ran closer to the gardens and I gasped to what I saw. Or really who I saw.

"Mal?"

It was. I finally found her. She looked the same as the last time I saw her. As she walked out from the gardens, students were running away from her.

"There she is." Lonnie said.

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

I ran as fast as I could up to Mal and immediately grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, Mal! Mal baby! I'm so glad to see you again! You had me worried so much, but that's alright! You're okay!" I said.

"Uh, Evie? Mal's not okay." Lonnie said.

"What do you mean? She's safe and sound." I said as I continue to hug her.

"No, I mean…"

I let go of Mal and looked at her face. Lonnie was right. Mal was physically fine. But something was off. Something was not right. Mal did not look happy to see me. She was glaring at me.

"Mal?" I said.

Mal continued to glare at me as she grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.

"How dare you think you're worthy enough to touch me like that?!" Mal said.

"What?" I asked.

Mal shoved me to the ground and stood above me.

"Mal. Mal, I know you're mad at me for the things I've said. I know. I hurt you very much. And I don't expect you to forgive me. But I just want to let you know that I'm really, really sorry." I said.

Mal didn't say anything for a moment.

"What are you talking about, Blueberry?"

My eyes widen to that last word. That nickname. She hasn't called me that in years. Lonnie was right. Mal is not okay.

"Blueberry?" Lonnie asked as she helped me up.

"An old nickname Mal called me when we were still on the Isle. Before we became friends. Back when she hated me." I said.

"And still hate you. And what do you mean "before we became friends"? I could never imagine myself being friends with you. Besides, I have no friends." Mal said.

"Mal." I said.

As I walked closer to Mal, she backed away.

"Don't even think about it. I'll let what you just did slide. But don't ever do it to me again." Mal said.

I felt a shiver go through me. But I couldn't let it stop me.

"Mal, where have you been?" I asked.

"Exploring. It's funny. We're in Auradon, obviously, but how? I don't remember getting here. But oh, well. Time to conquer this land." Mal said.

"Mal?"

"What?"

"You really don't remember?" I asked.

"No. But it doesn't really matter. But how did you get yourself to look so good? I mean how? How did you get yourself these nice clothes and your hair? And that tiara? It's so nice." Mal said.

"Well, thanks. I'm glad you like it." I said.

"No! It sickens me." Mal said.

I looked down sadly. I know that Mal isn't herself, as she would never say that to me, but I can't help but be hurt.

"Now, if you don't mind, Blueberry, I got some strategizing to do. So for now, leave me." Mal said before waving her hand dismissively.

There was no point right now to plead and argue with her. Besides I have some strategizing to do myself.

"Will I see you again?" I asked carefully.

"Of course! You will be seeing a lot more of me as I take over Auradon. I will not only follow my mother's footsteps, but I will be better than her a thousandfold. Now go." Mal replied.

"Yes, Mal."

I grabbed Lonnie's hand and we ran off until we arrived back at the tourney field where no one was around. I sat down at the bleachers and began to cry. Lonnie sat next to me and held me in her arms as I cried.

"At least we know she's alright. Physically, I mean." Lonnie said.

I stopped crying and wiped my tears.

"Yeah. But she doesn't even remember me. I mean, she doesn't even remember what we have together." I said.

"I'm so sorry, Evie. I really am." Lonnie said.

I got off Lonnie and sat up on the bleachers.

"Now what do I do?" I asked.

"We must help her. I think Mal is under some sort of spell." Lonnie said.

"Really? How do you know?"

"Mal demonstrated the signs at the gym when she was with me the other day. She scared Chad and her eyes glowed green. After that, she couldn't remember any of it."

"So she was telling the truth when she said she didn't remember. So she's under a spell. Okay. If that's the case, then by who?" I asked.

"That's what we're going to figure out. But I'm with you, Evie." Lonnie said.

"Thank you so much, Lonnie."

"You're welcome, Evie. Let's head back to the dorms. We're going to need Carlos and Jay's help." Lonnie said.

"Indeed." I said.


	30. Saving Mal

_Saving Mal_

[_Carlos and Jay's dorm room. 6:05 pm_]

Evie's POV

Lonnie and I explained everything that has happened with encountering Mal to the boys.

"So Mal is under some sort of spell?" Carlos asked.

"Yes. But by who?" asked Jay.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." said Lonnie.

"She had to come in contact with someone. And the best way to find out is by angering her." I said.

"What?" asked Carlos.

"How?" asked Jay.

"I'm going to have to question her. And she's not going to like it. Remember, Mal's mind is set back to when we were still on the Isle. When she hated me." I said.

"For not inviting her to your sixth birthday party." Carlos said.

"Yes." I said.

"I remember. When Mal threw that party at Carlos' house, she did it to get back at you. To make you suffer. She wanted to hurt you really bad." Jay said.

"And since we're not living in a barrier, Mal could discover that she has magic powers. If she hasn't already." Carlos said.

"And use them against you to hurt you. Evie, you could be putting your life in danger." said Lonnie.

"It doesn't matter. Mal may not believe she is good in her mind. But I must believe that she is good in her heart. She's in there somewhere. But we need a plan." I said.

We all thought for a little bit, until Lonnie had an idea.

"I got it! The Enchanted Lake!" she said.

"That's right! The waters are purifying and are capable of washing away spells!" I said.

"So all we gotta do is throw Mal in the lake and she'll be back to herself?" Jay asked.

"As crazy as that sounds, yes." said Carlos.

"So when do we do this?" asked Lonnie.

"In the early morning. We'll wake up at sunrise and find Mal. And we'll convince her to go to the lake."

"Sounds good. I'll meet you at the dorm entrance." said Lonnie.

"Thank you, Lonnie. I really appreciate it. I know this isn't your fight but…" I said.

"Hey, Mal's my best friend. And so are you. I would do anything for you two. For all of you." said Lonnie.

We hugged and Lonnie left. We got ourselves ready for bed and this night, I slept with Carlos. Although, I'm hoping this will be the last time. Not that I don't mind having a sleepover with the boys, but I really miss sleeping with Mal. Sunday morning arrived, and we woke up at five and the boys got themselves ready. I hurried back to our dorm and got myself ready as well. I didn't wear anything special, but I did put on my silver tiara. I know Mal likes to see me wearing that. The real Mal. Afterwards, we met up with Lonnie at the dorm's entrance and the sun coming out.

"Alright, let's split up. We'll cover more ground that way. If you find Mal, do not approach her. Call or text the rest of us your location and we'll meet up. Because Mal is not easy to fight alone. Got it?" I said.

"Got it." Carlos, Jay and Lonnie said together.

"Let's go save our girl." I said.

We left the building and went off in different directions.

Lonnie's POV

As I walked to the opposite side of the school campus, I thought about Mal the last time we were together. I tried to think of how Mal was under a spell. But I couldn't. I could only focus on how she was before she turned into a completely different person. I soon found myself at the gym building. I didn't think Mal would be there, but I felt like I was drawn there to look anyway. And I'm glad I was. Because I found Mal outside of the building. I hid behind a tree while carefully observing her. I couldn't tell what she was doing. She kept walking around. Maybe thinking about something. I texted the others and told them where she was.

Evie's POV

I got Lonnie's text and met up with her along with Jay and Carlos. We hid behind the tree and watched Mal. She wasn't doing much. Mostly just walking around.

"What do you think she's thinking about?" Carlos asked.

"Probably something not good." Jay said.

Lonnie noticed my worried expression.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I clicked my tongue.

"Yeah. Let's do this." I said.

I have no idea what I meant by that. I was sort of out of it. Completely perplexed on why Mal was under a spell. Lonnie, Carlos and Jay followed me as I ran up to Mal.

"Mal!" I said as we approached her.

Mal turned and smirked at us.

"Well, well. If it isn't Princess Blueberry. Oh look, you have Jay and Carlos with you. I was wondering when you two would show up." Mal said.

She turned and looked at Lonnie.

"But who is this again? I seen her with you yesterday, but she looks too nice to be a VK." Mal said.

"I'm Lonnie. Remember?" Lonnie asked.

Mal shrugged and nodded.

"No. Your name doesn't sound familiar." she said.

Lonnie frowned in disappointment.

"Mal, I know you don't really care to see me right now..." I said.

"Mm, you kinda got that right." Mal said.

"But, as our leader, I feel you should know this." I said.

"Evie, what are you doing?" asked Jay.

"It's alright. I know what I'm doing, because it's for Mal." I said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Mal asked.

"You've been to the lake right?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Well, did you find the treasure?"

Mal tilted her head.

"Treasure?"

"Yeah! There's treasure at the lake that's worth a lot in Auradon." I said.

"How come Jay doesn't claim it for himself?"

"Because I feel it's right if you have it, Mal. No matter what it is, you're our leader. You deserve the best of the best." Jay said, following my lead.

Mal smiled.

"Alright. I like your point of view. I'm listening." Mal said.

Good. She's buying it. But it seems she needs to hear a little more before she's on board.

"That treasure, whatever it is. I've heard talk that who ever finds it, can sell it for an unbelievably, yet believable amount of money. Amount so big it's a, um, oh what's the term? Boat load of cash?" I said.

"Get to the point, Evie. How big of a boat?" Mal asked.

"Does the name _Titanic _ring any bells?"

Mal smiled and laughed.

"You've changed, Evie. But I like it. I can't believe this, but I'm actually starting to like you. Alright, let's go to the lake." Mal said.

I let Mal lead the way. Lonnie, Jay, Carlos and I all sighed silently as we so grateful that worked.

[_The Enchanted Lake. 7:06 am_]

Evie's POV

We arrived at the bridge before the lake.

"So where is this treasure?" Mal asked.

"We have to cross the bridge first, Mal. Once we do, the treasure is buried underneath some large boulders." said Lonnie.

"You're so knowledgeable. Who are you again?" Mal asked.

"Lonnie. I'm an AK." she replied.

"I thought so. You look too nice to be a VK. Nice to see someone who lives here has a brain to see the VK ways." Mal said.

We arrived at the lake and Mal started to look around.

"Okay. Where's the boulders?" Mal asked.

I pointed Mal to look to the left. There were some large rocks across the lake.

"There! Walk forward a little bit more. You can see it." I said.

Mal kept walking forward until she was at the edge of the ground. I looked at Lonnie, Jay and Carlos, who nodded at me to do it. I nodded back and shoved Mal as hard as I could. Mal flew forward a little bit and splashed into the water. I made sure she didn't fall into the deep end as she can't swim. The four of us cheered as we thought we had finally set Mal free. Mal rose up from the water and looked at us angrily.

"Oh, Mal. I'm so sorry. I really am. But I had to do it." I said.

"Did you? Did you really, Evie? You're so going to pay for that!" Mal said.

She got out of the lake and focused her eyes on me.

"It didn't work. She's not herself." Lonnie whispered to me.

I swallowed. Mal is still being spelled.

"No. No, that's impossible. How did the lake not cure you?!" I asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Evie! But you are so going to pay for that!" Mal said.

"Wait, Mal! Don't hurt her!" Carlos said.

"And why not?" Mal asked.

"Because she's a great crew member. You can't dispose of her." he said.

"She pushed me into the water!" Mal exclaimed.

"I didn't mean to! I was just trying to…"

I couldn't think of anything else to say. I was completely shocked that the lake didn't remove the spell. Mal's eyes glowed a bright green. Then, Mal raised her right hand and green fire manifested from her hand. Apparently she discovered her magic powers.

"Guys, get down." I said.

Once Mal was charged up, she sent a green fireball right at us. The four of us ducked as the ball of fire flew right past us into a hill causing a green explosion.

"I made her even more mad." I said.

Mal walked up to me and lifted me up by the collar of my shirt.

"Apparently you haven't changed. You better stay out of my way, or my next attack will hurt you. Badly." Mal said to my face.

She then dropped me to the ground.

"As for the rest of you. Well, you would do best to do the same thing." Mal said.

Mal then started walking back to the bridge.

"No. No. I'm not losing you this easily." I said.

I got up and ran after Mal.

"Evie, don't!" Lonnie exclaimed.

I didn't listen. All I want is to have my girl back. I ran up to Mal and grabbed her right shoulder to make her turn around.

"Mal, please. I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry. Please forgive me. Please. I'll do anything for you. Anything." I pleaded.

"Anything?" Mal asked.

"Anything!" I said.

"Alright. I'll tell you what. I'll make a deal with you." Mal said.

"I'm listening!" I said.

"I will put everything you have done to me behind us. Not inviting me to your birthday party to lying to me about this so called treasure, if you join me."

"Join you?"

"Yes. I'll let you be my second in command and together we will conquer Auradon and enslave anyone will refuses to pledge allegiance to us. And we will destroy what I don't like. Starting with that school. We'll destroy it and use that land to make our own improved castle. Just think, Evie. We'll have lots of workers who will build it for us and do our bidding. We'll both be queens and rule Auradon, together." Mal said.

I hated everything Mal has just said. This is obviously not like her. It never was. And it must never will be. I sighed before responding. And I know she'll hate it.

"I'm sorry, Mal. I would do anything for you. But I can't destroy the school or anything else. And I don't want to enslave people. It's not me. And it's not you either." I said.

Mal scoffed.

"I knew it. You never could destroy things. You always had to save things. You're so soft. So naive. But I thought I would give you the chance to turn yourself around. Evil lives, Evie. But you're too soft to live up to that." Mal said.

Mal resumed walking across the bridge. I followed.

"Mal, please. There's other things we can do together." I said.

"Yeah, but you just denied the fun things." Mal said.

We reached the end of the bridge.

"But, Mal-"

"Enough, Evie!" Mal yelled as she slapped me across the face.

The last person who slapped me was my mother. Which was a long time ago. And it brought back bad feelings.

"You get the hell away from me." Mal said.

I didn't move. I was completely frozen from what Mal had done.

"Now!" Mal yelled.

She shoved me back so hard, I lost my balance and fell over the bridge, but caught the railings. I screamed as I was hanging on for life. I looked down and saw the long way to the ground. I looked back up and saw Mal looking at me.

"Mal, please! Help me!" I said.

Mal scoffed and walked away.

"Mal! Mal!"

I watched as Mal kept walking until she wasn't visible. I then screamed as loud as I could for help. Jay ran up to me and grabbed my arms and pulled me up. However his grip on me slipped and I started to fall, but Jay grabbed me by the waist and we both fell onto the bridge. Jay got up and carried me off the bridge and sat down on the ground. I laid in his arms, shaking and crying from what just happened.

"It's okay. You're alright now." Jay said.

He rubbed my back trying to comfort me.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." I said.

"You're welcome, Evie. I'm glad you're okay." he said.

"Me too." I said.

I got off Jay and sat on the ground next to him. Lonnie and Carlos rushed over to me and both hugged me. Thankful that I was okay.

"Now what?" Carlos asked.

I calmed down and looked in the direction where Mal went.

"We keep going. I'm not giving up on her." I said.

I got up and the others followed me as I ran back towards the school.


	31. Saving Mal (Part 2)

_Saving Mal (Part 2)_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 9:15 am_]

Evie's POV

We went back to our dorm room and sat around, trying to come up with a new strategy.

"I don't understand. The Enchanted Lake's water has the power to cleanse and remove any spells. So why didn't it free Mal from whatever spell she has?" Lonnie asked.

"It doesn't make any sense." said Carlos.

"I didn't like how Mal almost had you killed, Evie." Jay said.

"I don't either. But we have to keep in mind that Mal isn't herself. She would never hurt me. Something is influencing her behavior." I said.

"But it doesn't change that fact that she almost killed you. And I'm going to make her pay for that." Jay said.

"By what? What can you do against her? Mal knows she has powers. But she's never used them for defense before. Since there was no magic on the Isle, we don't know what her powers can do to us." I said.

We sat in silence until Carlos pointed out Mal's rock.

"Hey, Evie? What's that on your desk?" he asked.

I glanced over at it.

"Oh, that's a rock Mal got when her and I went up to the mountain during summer break." I replied.

"Has it always glowed?"

"No."

I lifted my head to what Carlos has just asked.

"Wait, what do you mean 'glowed'?" I asked.

"Look!" he said.

I looked at the rock and saw it was glowing a brighter purpled than it was before. I walked over to it and grabbed it. When I did, it shocked me and the rock took my mind to the past. It's hard to explain, but the rock made me start seeing things. I was still in the dorm room, but my mind wasn't. Instead, I was back on the Isle, in Mal's old house to be exact. I walked into the living room and saw the most evil villain we have ever known, Maleficent. She had the rock on a small round table, and she was looking in her spell book.

"_Block of rock, so ancient and true. Make sure my daughter finds you. Then make her imbue with the likes of her mother. For an upheaval to life is good to evil."_

I was then quickly sent back to reality. The power of the illusion was so strong, it made me stumble back and Carlos caught me before I fell to the floor.

"Evie, what happened? Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." I said as I rubbed my forehead.

I had developed a headache from that moment.

"That rock. That rock was created especially for Mal." I said.

"What?" said Jay.

"How do you know?" asked Lonnie.

"Because, during that moment, I saw Maleficent in my mind. It was like the rock was telling me, or showing me its origin. It's hard to explain. The point is, I know that rock was spelled by Mal's mother. And Mal was meant to find it and be just like her." I said.

"Okay, so how do we reverse the spell?" asked Carlos.

"I don't know. But I know the answer won't be here in Auradon. It will be on the Isle. I need to get there." I said.

"Then we'll come with you." said Jay

Screaming was heard from the outside. We looked out the window and saw Mal scaring some students.

"No. You three should stay here and keep Mal here while I find the cure." I said.

"But at least let one of us come along." said Carlos.

"No. Trust me, I'll be alright alone. You three will have to stick together to keep Mal contained until I return."

"Evie." said Lonnie.

"End of discussion. This is no doubt our darkest hour." I said.

I walked into the closet and grabbed my jacket that I wore back on the Isle. I put it on and walked back out.

"Good luck, Evie." Carlos said.

"Thank you, sweetie." I said.

I gave him, Jay and Lonnie a hug before I left. I snuck out to where the limo was being stored. I walked up to the driver door and pulled a bobby pin from my hair and used it to pick the lock of the limo. After a minute, I was able to get the door opened and got inside. I located the steering column and was about the remove the cover when I looked up at the sun visor and saw a spare key pinned on it.

"Well, that'll be much easier than trying to hotwire this thing." I said as I took the key and put it in the ignition switch.

[_Isle_ _of the Lost. 10:12 am_]

Evie's POV

After arriving on the Isle, I hid the limo and looked around. The buildings were getting more and more damaged. My old home is crumbling apart and so is my life if I don't get a move on. Everything seemed more in disrepair than the last time we were here.

I arrived at the street where Mal's old house was. But as I started walking towards the house…

"Evie, darling? Is that you?"

No, no, no, no, no. I do not need this right now. I don't have time for this. But I can't ignore her. I rolled my eyes and turned around.

"Hello, Mother." I said.

"Evie! It's been so long!"

"Yes, it sure has." I said, trying to be nice.

Mother studied me. An impressed looked was seen on her face.

"You look like you've been taking care of yourself well. Your hair and makeup are perfect. And your clothes are nice too. For once, I have no complaints, daughter." she said.

"I'm glad you approve, Mother." I said.

And I was. I'm glad I made her proud of me again.

"There can only be one reason why you look so nice." Mother said.

I tilted my head.

"You have a prince!" Mother exclaimed excitedly.

I sighed and looked around. That proudness of me is going to go away quickly.

"Ooh, tell me, darling. Who is he? How rich is he? How big is his castle? You must be here to get me, right?"

I sighed again. I know Mother is going to hate me for what I'm about to say. But it's the truth and I have no choice but to tell her.

"Mother, I'm sorry. But I don't have a prince." I started.

"What? Why not?"

"Because there isn't one for me."

"But there's some good princes there. There has to be."

"There are. But I'm not into boys anymore." I said quickly.

Perhaps a little too quickly. But it needed to be said.

"What?" Mother asked.

I grabbed Mother's hands and looked her in the eyes.

"It's not that I'm not dating at all. Because I am. It's just, I'm not...dating a boy." I said.

Mother smiled.

"Oh, I get it." she said.

"You do?" I asked curiously.

"Yes. You're almost an adult. So therefore, you're not dating a boy, you're dating a man. I get it. You're not into boys, but into men." Mother said.

I groaned quietly to myself. She's not getting it. I'm going to have to straight up tell her.

"No, Mother. Please listen to me. I'm not dating a boy or a man. I'm dating a girl!" I said.

Mother retreated back in shock.

"What?! You're dating a girl? No! Who?!" she asked.

"Mal." I said.

"Mal?! That wretched daughter of Maleficent?!"

"Yes, Mother."

"So you're a...a..?"

"Yes, Mother. I'm a lesbian."

Mother gasped.

"No. No, Evie. Is this some sick joke?"

"No, Mother. Mal and I have been dating for almost a year now. In a month, it'll be a year."

"No. No, Evie. No."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her shock then turned to anger.

"I can't believe you. You're such a disappointment, Evie. You've been one countless times and it seems you'll always be one."

I'm not going to lie, it hurts me to hear that. I cried in the inside a little, but I stayed strong on the outside.

"Sometimes I think, if I had a son as well, or if I only had a son, he would be a better child than you. All those years on teaching you to be pretty, just wasted. It's bad enough you haven't found a man. But I prefer that over you dating a girl. Especially Mal. Mal is such a low life child. Horrible! Have you forgotten what she did to you a few years ago?"

Now my sadness was turning into anger.

"No. But I've moved way past that. You don't know how Mal is. She's changed. She's a sweet person. We're grown so close. And I'm glad to have her in my life. I have no regrets at all." I said.

"Well, I regret having you, that's for sure."

Now that really hurt. My eyes narrowed at Mother.

"You wanna know what, Mother? Mal and I are so close, we've had sex together."

Mother gasped in shock.

"Multiple times. And I love it! Mal is so good in bed, no man on Earth can make me feel the way Mal makes me feel. She has a wonderful body, and I can never get enough of it!" I said.

Mother looks like she's about to faint. I then smirked on a thought I just had.

"I wish Mal could impregnate me. Because I wouldn't mind having a family with her. It sounds nice."

"Evie, stop. I can't take this anymore " Mother said.

It seems her worst nightmare about me has come true. Well it hasn't. Only in thought, for now.

"There is one thing I would love to happen sometime in the near future before we have a family. You want to know what it is?" I asked.

With her hands over her chest, Mother started to walk away. But one more thing needs to be said from my heart.

"No, Evie. You go waste your life on that girl. I don't care. I taught you everything you needed to know. And you waste it on such a low life like Mal."

"Well, okay, Mother. I'm going to be on my way now."

"Good. I don't want to ever see you again." Mother said.

"Okay, but I'll let you know when Mal and I decide to get married!" I shouted.

Mother stopped and turned around and walked back towards me.

"You wouldn't marry her." she said.

"Oh I would. And I will. One day. One day, Mother. Mal and I will be happily married, living in a luxurious home across the world. And there's not a damn thing you can do."

"Evie, no."

"Your daughter is a lesbian! A lesbian! And she's proud of it!" I shouted.

I shouted that so loud I'm sure everyone in their nearby homes heard me. But I didn't care. After hearing me say that, Mother's eyes rolled back and she collapsed to the ground. I walked over to her and felt her neck. She was still alive, of course.

"Sweet dreams, Mother." I said, then ran off to Mal's house.

[_Auradon Prep. 10:48 am_]

Lonnie's POV

Jay, Carlos and I tried our best to follow Mal. But we lost sight of her when we reached school grounds. We looked around a lot, but couldn't find her. We were getting very worried and a little scared as well. We walked to the common grounds and saw Audrey and Jane having lunch together.

"Audrey! Jane!" I said as Carlos, Jay and I ran up to them.

"Hello, guys." said Jane.

"What's going on?" Audrey asked.

"Have you seen Mal recently?" I asked.

"Not since the last time I saw her." Audrey replied.

"Which was?" Jay asked.

"The other night. Before her and Evie had their argument." Audrey replied.

"Where is Evie? We tried to call her to invite her to have lunch with us, but something's wrong with her phone. Our calls and texts can't get through." Jane said.

"She's on the Isle right now." Carlos said.

"What? Why?" Audrey asked.

"To find a cure for the spell Mal's under." I replied.

"Mal's under a spell? Really?" Audrey asked, scoffing after.

"Yes. While Evie's on the Isle, Carlos, Jay and I are trying to keep an eye on her. But we lost sight of her. Now have either of you seen her today?" I asked.

"I told you I haven't." Audrey said.

"And I haven't either." Jane said.

Audrey got up from the table.

"Well, thanks for ruining our lunch with the reference of Mal. Now can you please go away?" she asked.

I looked down sadly. Audrey and I used to be best friends, but ever since I developed a close friendship with Mal, Audrey has talked to me less and less. I felt that she doesn't want me around her anymore.

"I'm sorry for ruining your lunch, Audrey." I said.

"Thank you." Audrey said.

"Come on, guys. Let's keep looking." I said to the boys.

They nodded and we started to walk away. Until Jane screamed at the top of her lungs. We turned around and saw green fire flying right towards us.

"Move!" I shouted.

Carlos, Jay and I ran away from the left of the table, while Jane and Audrey ran away from the right just in time as the green flame flew right between us, burning the table in the process.

"This fire...it can't be." I said.

We all looked to where the fire came from and saw Mal with small amounts of green fire around her.

"Mal?" said Jay.

"Well, there's your girl. Aren't you going to run to her?" Audrey asked, crossing her arms.

"Don't you think there is something off about her?" Jane asked.

"She's under a spell. Created by her mother." I said.

"What?" Audrey asked.

Mal walked closer to us until she stopped about thirty feet away from us.

"What is she doing?" Audrey asked.

Mal shown an evil smirk before she said something we couldn't understand. We think it was some kind of spell saying because after she said it, her dragon symbol was quickly shown in front of her before disappearing into her. Green fire was seen surrounding her as well as a black mist engulfed her entire body.

Then the fire and the mist disappeared as Mal swung her right arm away from her body. The five of us gasped in shock as we seen Mal in an entirely new outfit. Her shoes were purple, with black pants. Her top was a jacket that was purple across the torso, but black on the sides and the long sleeves. And her hair was still purple, but with some black highlights. And lastly, she had a sword as well. Her sword's blade was a bright silver, and the grip was a mix color of purple and black. And the end of the pommel was her dragon logo.

We couldn't believe our eyes. We stood there, completely frozen in shock, but also lots of fear as Mal raised her sword. A green string of light was seen circling the guard of the sword before turning into fire which engulfed the entire blade. Mal stared at us before she swung her sword, sending the attack to us. We all duck to the ground as the green fire flew right above us and crashed into a building near us. Jane and Audrey were the first to get up.

"Let's get out of here!" Audrey said.

"Audrey don't!" I yelled.

As the two tried to make a run for it, Mal ran up to them and swung her sword at them, trying to cut them. Carlos, Jay and I watched in horror as we saw Mal trying to kill Jane and Audrey. The two girls ran around trees, tables, and other things. Desperately trying not to get hurt. We wanted to do something, but we were too much in shock.

"Mal, stop!" Carlos yelled.

But Mal didn't hear him.

"How can this happen?" Carlos asked.

"The way Mal's fighting...that's her style." Jay said.

"Dragon flames!" Mal said.

She swung her sword towards Jane and Audrey, causing explosions around them. Jane and Audrey screamed as the explosions made them lose their balance and fall to the ground. Mal rested her sword on her shoulder and turned her head to us. We got up and looked back at Mal.

"Mal." I said.

"This can't be real." Jay said.

Mal glared at us as she held her sword up in front of her, getting her next attack ready.

"Mal! Mal! Please, stop! Don't do this, Mal! We love you very much!" Carlos yelled.

But his words had no effect. Mal swung her sword and a green explosion went off right in front of us. We landed on the ground and coughed from the smoke of the fire. I looked up and saw Mal standing over us. I quickly threw myself in front of Jay and Carlos to shield them from whatever attack Mal might have next. But Mal just smirked and disappeared into a wall of green fire behind her. I helped Jay and Carlos up and we ran over to Jane and Audrey.

"Jane! Audrey! Are you alright?" I asked.

"We're fine. No thanks to you." Audrey said as she helped Jane up.

"What was all that?" Jane asked.

"Definitely not Mal." Carlos said.

"She's acting just like her mother. I told you, she's under a spell. She would never deliberately hurt us." I said.

"It seem deliberate to me." Audrey said.

"I know. But will you help us?" I asked.

"Help you?!" Audrey exclaimed.

"How?" Jane asked.

"We need to keep Mal contained until Evie comes back from the Isle with the cure to Mal's spell." I said.

"She can freaking teleport! How are we supposed to keep her contained?" Audrey asked.

"I guess we can't. But we need to look around. She couldn't have gone far. Please." I said.

"No. We're not helping. You want to save your psychopath of a best friend, then be my guest. But I'm not helping you help her. I wouldn't help you at all, considering you betrayed me." Audrey said.

"Betrayed you?" I asked.

"Hanging out with her. I told you to stay away from her, and told you she's dangerous. But you went against my wishes. And now you finally see I was right all along."

"But she's spelled!"

"It doesn't change the fact that she's dangerous. Based on what we have seen from those showy movements and fires of hers, she has the ability to kill. And I'm not going to die trying to save someone who I don't care for at all." Audrey said.

Audrey grabbed Jane's arm and glared at me and the boys before leading Jane away. Carlos was about to tell Jane something, but Audrey didn't give him the chance. I sighed and looked down.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked as he hugged me.

"I'll be alright." I said as I felt a tear run down.

"It's going to be okay. As Evie said, this is our darkest hour. We'll get through this." Carlos said.

"Right. Of course. We can't give up. Come on, guys. Let's keep going." I said.


	32. Saving Mal (Part 3)

_Saving Mal (Part 3)_

[_Isle of the Lost. 11:33 am_]

Evie's POV

Totally unaware of what was happening back at the school, I entered Mal's old house. Since no one was living in it anymore, it was in disrepair. So much, I had the feeling that it was structurally unstable, and parts of it could collapse at any moment. I walked through the main hallway. The feeling was a little eerie, but yet exciting. I've been to Mal's house many times during our time on the Isle. Well, mostly snuck in. Mal's mother didn't always like me coming over. Something about me being a bad example or something.

As I walked into the living room, dust and cobwebs were everywhere. Way more there was in the hallway. I looked around and saw cracks in the wall, indicating that there is a structural problem. This place will never be fixed up and it kind of saddens me to know that one day, this house will be a pile of rubble. I looked through the bookshelves to find any book that Maleficent might have used. You might be thinking, "Why don't you search the spell book Maleficent gave Mal for the cure?". Well, I've read through that book many times before, and I don't recall a spell and a cure for whatever Mal has in it.

After searching the bookshelves, I found nothing. I leaned up against a couch and sighed. Thinking where else I should look. But then I looked to my left and saw a dusty book sitting on a dusty end table. I picked up the book blew the dust off. The book had a picture of a dragon on it and a bookmark was sticking out of one of the pages. I flipped the book to the marked page and gasped as I saw the rock spell.

"Oh my gosh, this is it!" I said.

I read the page and gasped again after I read the section about the cure.

"Of course! How could I have not seen this?" I asked aloud.

[_Tourney Field. 12:05 pm_]

Lonnie's POV

Since Mal is now armed, Carlos, Jay and I grabbed some swords from the gym. I hated having to do this, but we have no choice but to defend ourselves. As we left the gym building, we noticed in the distance large black cloud shot up into the sky.

"Don't tell me that's from Mal." said Jay.

"I think so." said Carlos.

We ran to the direction, but saw Audrey and Jane along the way. I begged Audrey to help us, and she finally said yes after me asking so much. We arrived at the tourney field and glanced around, but didn't see Mal.

"So where is the witch?" Audrey asked.

Her question was about to be answered. We saw a green fireball heading towards us, but it stopped not far ahead of us. The fire disappeared and Mal was seen in its place.

"Mal." Carlos said quietly.

Mal rested her sword on her right shoulder and glared at us. She then started walking towards us.

"Are you going to fight her with that?" Audrey asked me, referring to my sword.

"I don't want to hurt her." I said.

Audrey scoffed and grabbed the sword out of my hand.

"Audrey, no. You're no match for Mal." I said.

"Watch me." Audrey said.

Audrey ran to Mal as Mal ran to us. The boys, Jane and I watched as Audrey was engaged in a duel. Jane told Audrey to be careful a couple times.

"Boys?" I said.

"Yeah?" Jay and Carlos said.

"We're going to have to fight Mal." I said.

"What?" Jay asked.

"No. I don't want to." Carlos said.

"We have to. To save Mal."

"Right." Carlos said.

After Mal knocked Audrey to the ground, Mal turned and saw the boys and I running to Mal.

"Mal!" I exclaimed.

After we got up to her, Carlos and Jay restrained Mal by her arms. Making Mal drop her sword.

"Mal, please! You have to stop this! This isn't who you are!" I said.

"I am who I am." Mal said.

"No. This is not you. Remember me? I'm your best friend. And I know you don't want to hurt me." I said

"Lies!" Mal exclaimed.

She made the boys lose their grip on her by manifesting a black mist around her which somehow made the boys fall backwards. Mal made me fall as she flew past me and stopped in front of Jane. Jane was terrified as Mal grabbed the collar of her dress.

"Mal, no!" Carlos yelled.

He ran to them and had Jane hide behind him.

"Cute." Mal said, unamused.

Somehow using her magic, Mal made Carlos and Jane fly backwards to me, Jay and Audrey.

"Jane!" Audrey exclaimed.

"Are you alright, Carlos?" Jay asked.

"I am." Carlos said.

"Me too." Jane said

"No one does that to anyone!" Audrey said.

She held and pointed the sword I had at Mal.

"I'll end this!" Audrey said.

"No!" I said.

"No? There is no other way. I know you don't want to see your bestfriend fall, but-"

"It's not that. Evie will surely come back with the cure. So we have to stay strong until she arrives." I said.

Audrey sighed.

"I guess you're right." she said.

I grabbed my sword out of Audrey's hand and looked at Jay and Carlos. Carlos got up and grabbed his sword.

"Let's go!" I said.

Jay and Carlos nodded in agreement. My mother's training in combat has really helped me. But I don't know if even she would be prepared for the attack Mal had planned for us. With both hands, Mal shot many spheres of green fire at each of us. And they hurt very badly. But we stayed strong and stood back on our feet. But Mal had one last attack as she grabbed her sword.

"Dragon flames!" Mal said.

After swinging her sword towards us, a green fireball hit all of us at the same time. A few green explosions went off around us as we fell to the ground. After we all fell to the ground in pain, Mal walked up to Audrey and pointed her sword at her.

"Audrey!" Jane cried.

Mal raised her sword up in the air.

"Mal, no!" I yelled.

Right when Mal was about to stab Audrey, a small explosion of sparks went off right next to Mal, causing Mal to fall and roll on the ground. Mal quickly got up and Evie kicked the sword out of Mal's hand. We were all happy to see her again.

"Evie!" Carlos, Jay and I said.

"Nice entrance." Audrey said.

"I'm sorry for the wait. Please, leave the rest to me." Evie said.

The rest of us got up and moved out of the way.

Evie's POV

I looked back at Mal, who had the sword back in her hand, but resting it on her right shoulder.

"Looks like the worst has been saved for last." Mal said.

"Oh, baby. What has happened to you? This is all my fault." I said quietly.

Mal began to run towards me. I quickly grabbed a sword that was lying on the ground just as Mal swung her sword at me. My sword blocked hers from striking me and our duel began. I got up and our swords clashed a few times before we looked at each other and moved a little farther away from the others. However as our swords clashed, I realized I may have underestimated Mal. It has been a long time since I'd been in a sword fight. On the Isle, Mal has been involved in many more battles than I have. And I know I'm going to get hurt. But whatever it takes.

As Mal swung her sword at me, I dodged it by doing a cartwheel. But Mal was persistent. I knew she wanted to hurt me. She charged at me with a fast speed and got me before I could block. I looked at my left arm and winced as I saw a tear in my sleeve as well as a cut and blood in the same area. Mal smirked in victory. But she wasn't done yet. I tried to shake the pain off the best I could and swung my sword at Mal. Mal dodged it as she rolled on the ground. She got back up and shot small spheres of green fire at me. I ran in half a circle, trying to avoid each one of them as they exploded behind me. Mal shot one more at me. As it flew towards me, I did a front flip in the air, barely missing it. I then landed right in front of Mal.

Our swords clashed once again. As we were trying to keep ours from striking each other, Mal punched me in the face, causing me to lose concentration. Mal glared at me as she shot another green sphere of fire at me. I tried to dodge it, but it hit me on my right side. Mal smiled as I was enduring the pain. It felt like my insides were burning up. I kneeled to the ground, with my hand over my side. I lifted my hand and saw part of my shirt burned away and part of my skin had a first degree burn mark. I quickly looked up and saw Mal grab me by my shirt, kicked me in the stomach and somehow made me fly backwards a little to the ground. I laid on my stomach in a lot of pain.

"I mustn't give up. I got to keep going." I said.

"Evie!" Carlos said.

I saw him running towards me.

"Stay back!" I said, holding my hand up.

Carlos stopped and stayed back. I got up and looked at Mal.

"Mal, you're my true love. And I won't give up on you." I whispered quietly.

"You're going to die, Evie." Mal said.

"That will one day happen. But not on this day." I said.

Mal scoffed and charged at me. Our swords clashed many more times. The next time our swords clashed, Mal's blocking of mine was so strong, when she countered, it sent me flying back again. I was able to keep myself up, but I hurt my left ankle at the same time. I tried to ignore the pain and continued to defend myself from Mal's countless attempted attacks. However, my body told me I was not meant for this. After I deflected another one of Mal's sword swings, a sharp pain was felt where I was burned and cut. I winced, and Mal saw this as an opening.

She took her sword and cut me from the bottom of my right shoulder down to the center of my chest. The others watched in horror as I screamed in pain as the cut was deeper than the other and the pain was almost unbearable. Mal grabbed me by the hair and smacked me to the ground. I tried to get her with my sword, but she kicked it out of my hand and jumped backwards. As I was lying on the ground in pain, Mal saw this as an opportunity to finish me off. And inside, I was hoping for it. I had failed. The Mal I knew and loved is gone forever. And I might as well go too.

"Profusion of flames!" Mal said, with her eyes glowing bright green.

I braced myself as I saw Mal manifest the biggest amount of green fire from her hands. The green fire flashed a brighter color of green for a second. I guess indicating she was all charged up. Mal then sent the biggest sphere of green fire right at me. I looked around it and looked at Mal. I wanted her to be the last thing I see before I die.

But then a light blue square appeared right in front of me. It blocked Mal's fireball and sent it right back to her. It exploded on Mal, causing her to fall to the ground. I looked to my left and saw Jane. Standing up with her hands reaching out. She sighed and lowered her arms.

"Jane." I said, acknowledging that she had used her magic to save my life.

Jane smiled and nodded. I slowly got up and walked over to Mal. She was hurt badly by her own power, and layed on the ground with some burn marks on her clothes.

"Mal?" I said.

Mal got up and grabbed me by my shirt.

"You...you're such an easy girl! You know that?! Dating a bunch of boys?! Flirting with them?! All because you think you're pretty?! You're such a slu-"

"Mal, listen to me! You can say all the meanest things in the world to me. But it won't affect me." I said.

"Why? Trying to stay strong? You'll break at some point." Mal said.

"No, I won't. Because I know you're not the girl I fell in love with. You're worse than the girl I first met. You're not being Mal! You're being like your mother! And that is not who you are!" I said.

"I am who I want to be! And I'll be better than my mother! I will rule Auradon! And kill anyone who refuses to bow to me. Starting with you." Mal said.

Mal grabbed my throat and began to squeeze it. I grabbed Mal's arms and was able to make her lose her grip. Mal tried to make a grab for her sword, but I kicked it out of her reach and then kicked her in the face to make her stay on the ground. It hurt my feelings to do that, but I saw this as an opportunity for me to finish her off.

"Mal Bertha. You are the love of my life. You are what I live for. You are who I live for. We have so much together. Remember who you are. Remember me. I know you always listen to me. I'm the only one you really listen to. So, Mal, baby. My sweet baby girl, if you're in there somewhere, I want you to know that I love you. I will always love you. We have a wonderful future ahead of us, and I will not allow this girl to stand in the way." I said.

"Nonsense!" Mal exclaimed.

Mal got up and grabbed my left arm as her right hand manifested one last green fire. My right hand grabbed Mal's right arm. We both struggled as Mal was trying to burn me, as I tried to keep Mal from burning me. However, Mal overpowered my strength and began to burn me in the same area she got me before. The burn mark instantly went from a first degree to a third degree. The pain was excruciating. If not more than that. I screamed as this was worse than any pain my mother ever gave to me. But I stayed strong. I stared at Mal as she was destroying my skin.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me! My love for you is greater than your firepower!" I said.

"Prove it!" Mal said.

I made Mal lose her grip on my left arm which causes Mal to not only continue to burn me, but also herself. We both screamed as the pain was going through both of us. But I still stayed strong and moved past the pain to give Mal the final blow. I put my hands on her cheeks.

"What are you doing?" Mal asked.

"Bringing my baby back." I replied.

I gave Mal the most passionate kiss ever. Afterwards, Mal looked at me with shock which caused her to lose control of her firepower. A green explosion went off right between us, causing me to fly backwards and land on the ground. Lonnie, Carlos, Jay, Jane, Audrey and I watched Mal flew in the air. As Mal was in the air, she screamed as a purple cloud of energy came rushing out of her and dissipated into the air.

Mal was finally freed from the spell and she landed hard on the ground. The others rushed over to me asking me if I'm alright. I told them I was and then a white colored sparkle was seen over my third degree burns and then, astonishingly, they disappeared. We all looked surprised as the burn marks were completely gone and it was just bare fair skin was seen. The pain from the burns were gone as well. The only pain I had were the cuts from the sword and the pain from moving my ankle wrong.

"Are you okay, Evie?" Lonnie asked.

"I am." I replied.

"But what about Mal?" Jane asked.

The six of us ran over to Mal. Mal laid on the ground, on her stomach. I carefully turned Mal to her back and saw her eyes were closed. Her new clothes were gone and replaced with what she was wearing the last time I saw her. The black highlights and her burn marks were also gone as well. Like they never happened.

"Mal?" I said, gently shaking her.

Mal didn't respond.

"Mal! Mal, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?" I asked.

Still no response.

"Mal, respond to me, baby!" I said.

With two fingers, I felt Mal's neck.

"Is she…?" Carlos began.

"Dead?" Audrey finished.

I sighed when I felt movement in Mal's neck.

"No. She's still alive." I said.

The five sighed in relief. Even Audrey.

"Well, I guess even she doesn't deserve to die." Audrey said.

I smiled and patted her on the back.

"How did you break her spell?" Lonnie asked.

"A kiss." I replied.

"A kiss?" Jane asked.

"Yep. Haven't you heard? True love's kiss works every time. Only Mal's mother thought that would be the perfect cure. Because at the time, Mal didn't believe in true love therefore the spell really didn't have a cure." I said.

"Until you two became a thing." Carlos said.

I smiled.

"Yes. We're Mevie forever." I said.

Jay and Carlos helped me carry Mal back to our dorm room.

"Thank you, all of you, for your help. And thank you, Jane, for saving my life." I said.

"Of course, Evie. I'm glad you're okay."

I smiled and nodded. I then looked at Audrey.

"I appreciate your help, Audrey. You know you didn't have to." I said.

"Well, honestly, I really didn't or was trying to help. I just got caught in the middle of all of this. But I meant it when I said Mal doesn't deserve to die. I'm actually glad she's okay. And definitely glad this craziness is over." she said.

"You have a good heart, Audrey. There's still hope for you and Mal." I said.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. She still has to face what she's done." Audrey said.

"Of course."

We hugged and Audrey left. Jane and I hugged as well and she left. I looked at the boys.

"I'd thank you both as well, but I don't think I need to." I said.

"We'd do anything for you and Mal." Carlos said.

Jay didn't say anything.

"Jay?" I said.

"Right, anything." Jay said.

We hugged and they soon left as well. It was just Lonnie now. We both looked at Mal, who was unconscious in her bed.

"So what now?" Lonnie asked.

"Well...I really don't know. I know this isn't going to go over well with Ben and the council. After today, there's no doubt that they'll want to expel her." I said.

"If that's what they'll decide, what will you do?" Lonnie asked.

"I have a plan in place. In case that does happen."

"What's that?" Lonnie asked.

I walked over to the door and quickly opened it to make sure no one was trying to eavesdrop. Essentially Audrey. But no one was around. Not even in the hallway. I closed the door and then walked Lonnie over to the window on the farthest wall from the door.

"What I'm about to tell you has to stay between us. No one can know." I said.

"I promise. I won't tell anyone. You can trust me." Lonnie said.

"I know. I just wanted to tell you." I said.

I held Lonnie's hands and looked at her.

"A few months ago, Mal had a dream about her and I living in an expensive contemporary home in Canada. It's her dream to one day live there." I said.

"I remember you telling me a little bit about that. But Canada? That's so far." Lonnie said.

"I know. But I'm perfectly happy with that if that's where Mal wants to be. The thing is, well, my plan is, if the council does decide to expel Mal, I will make preparations to take us to Canada." I said.

"You mean...you're going to run away?" Lonnie asked.

"I never thought of it as that, but yes." I replied.

Lonnie looked sad.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'll have to. I don't want Mal to be sent back to the Isle. Or be locked up somewhere. If it comes to the point where she's not allowed around here anymore, then why not go to some place where she'll be very happy?"

"I'll certainly miss you guys." Lonnie said.

"Let's not think about that right now. We'll deal with it if the time comes, okay?" I asked.

"Okay." Lonnie said, nodding happily.

Lonnie and I hugged tightly and gave each other a small kiss on the cheek. Afterwards, Lonnie walked over to Mal and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She then covered Mal with her blanket and straighten her hair a little.

"You're my best friend, Mal. You always will be." she said.

Lonnie and I hugged one more time before she left.

After Lonnie left, I locked the door and went into the bathroom. I took my shirt off and looked at the large cut wound that started from the bottom of my right shoulder to the center of my chest. Just missing my breasts. The cut wasn't very deep. But a little more than a scratch. I didn't feel I needed medical attention and believed that it'll be okay. I opened a vanity drawer and took out a bottle of antibiotic cream. I cleaned the blood away and put some antibiotic cream over the cut. I cried a little as it stung really bad. But the pain soon started to go away. I cleaned and put the cream over the other cut as well and put the bottle of cream away. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed as I looked at the red cut clashing against my fair skin.

"How am I going to explain this to Mal?" I asked myself.

I'll deal with it when the time arrives. I took my shoes off and walked over to Mal's bed. I sat on the bed next to Mal. I looked at her and rubbed her legs. I got up and took Mal's shoes off her.

"Oh, baby. My sweet baby girl. Look at you, sleeping like an angel. The demon inside you is gone. Curse you, Maleficent. Thank god you're a lizard now. If Mal didn't come out of this, I would've squashed you." I said.

I kinda wanted to kill the lizard anyway. But as crazy as this sounds, I have to be grateful to her. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have Mal today. I uncovered Mal with the blanket and moved her over as carefully as I could and laid next to her. I covered us with the blanket and held Mal as close as I could, partially laying on her. I kissed her on the lips and closed my eyes and fell asleep from the big day I had.


	33. Forgiveness

_Forgiveness_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 3:30 am._]

Evie's POV

I woke up with a strong urge to use the bathroom. Afterwards, I felt very hungry. I walked over to a cabinet and got a bag of trail mix from it. Not exactly a filling meal, but it was something. I put a t-shirt on and sat on my bed as I ate. After several minutes of eating, I heard a groaning noise. I looked over at Mal's bed and saw her moving. She was waking up. I stayed still and quiet, while watching Mal. Mal slowly sat up and rubbed her forehead.

"Oh, my head." she groaned.

She layed back down and continued to groan. I slowly got off my bed and walked over to her and stood in front of her. Mal sat up again and saw me.

"Evie?" she said.

"Hi, Mal" I said.

"Hi." Mal said.

I softly smiled as I was relieved to see Mal was back to herself again.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Got a splitting headache." Mal replied.

"Oh, hold on." I said.

I walked to the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth. I soaked it with cold water and wrigned it out. I then went back to Mal and laid it on her forehead.

"There you go, Mal."

"Thanks, Evie."

"You're welcome."

I sat at the edge of the bed. And kind of spaced out, when suddenly, Mal jumped and startled me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"How did I get here? What are you doing helping me? And why am I laying in my bed? What is going on?" Mal asked.

"Mal, it's okay, calm down." I said.

"Yeah, but-"

"Mal! Shh! Calm down. Breathe, girl. Breathe."

Mal started to calm down and after she did, I sat next to her.

"I know you're full of questions right now. The last thing you remember is the argument we had. I'll explain everything to you when your headache is gone."

"Okay." Mal said.

I let Mal be so she can focus on getting better. About forty five minutes later, Mal was much better and I decided it was time for me to tell her what has happened.

"First off, I want to say I'm really, really sorry for the things I've said and done. I'm sorry I didn't believe you, and I'm sorry for yelling at you and saying those awful things to you. And I'm really sorry I broke your heart. You didn't deserve that. Not any of that. I shouldn't have overreacted and should've just listened to you instead. You don't have to forgive me. I just want you to know I'm sorry."

Mal sat back up and looked at me.

"I don't know what happened with me. I should've paid more attention to you. The signs that something was wrong was right in front of me. And I ignored them. I should've listen to you. And believed you." I said.

"Well, that video of me helping those kids didn't help me at all. With that, there was no way to convince you otherwise." Mal said.

"Yes, but-"

"Evie, forget it. It's fine." Mal said.

"No. It's not. It's not fine. You were spelled."

"I was?"

"Yes. Lonnie was right. You were under a spell. That's why you did the things you did. And why you couldn't remember them."

"What did I do?" Mal asked.

I sighed. I really didn't want to tell her, but she needs to know. I held her hands and looked at her. I told her what I knew about her leaving the dorm after the argument to disappearing for a whole day before I found her in the gardens not being herself. Then I told her about her wanting to destroy and rule Auradon. I told her about her mind being set to the time when she hated me back on the Isle. After that, I discussed about her almost making me fall of the bridge leading to the lake, to discovering that the rock was created by her mother, to our battle. Mal didn't say anything for she was totally speechless.

"I...I can't believe that all happened." she finally said.

"I wish it didn't. I wish it was just a bad dream, but it wasn't. It really did happen." I said.

"How was I spelled though?" Mal asked.

I got up and grabbed the rock from my desk. It was now an ordinary rock. The dark magic inside was gone forever. It was still purple, just empty inside.

"Remember this?" I asked as I showed it to Mal.

Mal looked surprised as she set eyes on it.

"That? From the mountain?" she asked.

"Yes. It was created by your mother. I think you were meant to find this rock." I said.

"What? No. No way. You gotta be lying, Evie."

"I wish I was. Or really I wish it wasn't the truth, but it is. The rock gave me a vision to the past and I saw how the spell was created. Your mother wanted you to be just like her, except you were trying to be worse than her." I said.

"Yes, you told me that part already. But so if I was under a spell, how did I get freed from it?" Mal asked.

"By me." I replied.

"You?"

"I went to great lengths to save you. I basically put my life on the line. I could've been killed by you. But I didn't care. I loved you very much. And my love for you is what kept me going and it is what freed you." I said.

"How?"

"A kiss."

"A kiss?"

"True love's kiss works every time. However, at the time on the Isle neither your mom or you believed in that, so therefore, she thought that would be the perfect cure. She thought she figured you would never have a true love, so the spell really didn't have a cure. That was so until you and I started dating."

I looked at Mal's eyes and saw tears in them.

"I don't deserve you, Evie. You're too good for me. Audrey's right. There is probably someone out there who can be a whole lot better to you. I'm nothing." she said.

"Don't say that, Mal. Maybe there is, but I don't want someone better. I still want you. You're perfect for me. And you know I'm perfect for you. We're meant for each other. You know that." I said.

"But, Evie. What kind of girlfriend have I been to you? Everything I've done to hurt you. I almost killed you, many times. I'm surprised you don't hate me. Or have the desire to break up with me. You should because I'm nothing." Mal said.

"But you were not you. That's why. All that you did in the last few days were not you. And stop saying that you're nothing! If you were nothing, I would have never agreed to date you in the beginning!" I said.

My voiced raised on those last two sentences. I got up from the edge of the bed and got in the bed and sat in front of Mal, trying to calm myself.

"Mal Bertha. You're the one whom I'm committed to. I have no complaints about you whatsoever. I love you very much. As I kept saying. And I meant all of it. Have I ever shown the sighs otherwise? Have I?" I asked.

Mal nodded 'no'.

"Exactly. You're my true love. Now and forever."

I grabbed Mal's hands and held them.

"Mal, all that you've done in the last few days isn't your fault. I don't want you to blame yourself. Everyone is okay. Including me. So there is no need to worry. I know what I've told you and what others may tell you is probably going to leave a psychological scar on you. But I'm here for you. I always will be. We have a wonderful future ahead of us. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Don't you?"

More tears were seen in Mal's eyes.

"I…"

It was hard for her to talk. What I have said has reached her heart.

"I also…"

I smiled and nodded as I knew what she was trying to say. I moved closer to her and held her in my arms as she started to cry. I smiled to myself as I knew her and I are okay now. After Mal calmed down, I turned off the lights and had her lay right next to me and covered us with her blanket. After we were covered up, I held her close to me with my arms around her as her arms were around me.

"I forgive you, Evie." Mal said, unexpectedly to me.

"Y-you do?" I asked.

"Yes. I love you, sweetness."

My eyes widened to that new nickname. But I smiled as I liked it.

"I love you too, baby." I said.

I looked at Mal's green eyes as Mal looked at my brown eyes. We then leaned close to each other and our lips touched. Our first kiss together in days. I was so happy to have my girl back. As I'm sure Mal is happy to have me back. We're back together again. That night I made a promise to myself. Always listen to Mal and never ignore the signs of trouble. Because this time, I'll make sure nothing comes between us ever again.


	34. Resent

_Resent_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 7:00 am]_

Evie's POV

After sleeping for about two more hours, I got up and realized it was Monday. Meaning that another school week has begun. I walked over to Mal and gently shook her.

"Mal. Wake up, baby." I said.

Mal instantly opened her eyes.

"I've been awake." she said.

"Did you sleep at all?" I asked.

"For a little while. But I've been up since around six." Mal said as she sat up.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Everyone hates me now, don't they?"

"I hope not. Hopefully they understand that you were spelled. And you would never truly do bad things."

"But, Evie-"

"Mal, let's not think about that right now. Instead, how about I help you get yourself cleaned up?"

Mal smiled as she knew what I was thinking.

"Okay." she said happily.

Mal got out of bed and I helped her take off her clothes. I took mine off as well, but Mal's eyes instantly went to the long cut across my chest.

"It'll be okay, baby." I said.

"R-right. Of course." Mal said.

I led her to the bathroom and was going to start the shower, when I decided to give her a bath instead. The one part of her second dream came to my mind.

"A bath?" Mal asked.

"Just like in your other dream. We don't have enough time for sex, but we got enough time for this." I said.

Mal smiled and I helped her get in the tub after it was filled. Mal wasn't too dirty, but she needed a wash anyway. I grabbed a loofah sponge sitting not far away and started to scrub Mal's arms with some soap.

"I'm sorry I accused you of cheating on me. I don't know where that came from." Mal said.

"It's okay. I don't blame you for thinking that." I said.

"But it was wrong. I should have never had that thought." she said.

"But you weren't yourself. I think when we had our argument, the rock was influencing your thoughts and emotions." I said.

"Yeah. I think so too."

"But you're right about one thing that night, Mal. I am the dumbest smart person you've ever known." I said.

"I don't know where that came from either. But you're not dumb, E. You're very smart. Smarter than me." Mal said.

I softly smiled in response. After I was done scrubbing Mal, I got into the tub and handed Mal the sponge. Mal took it and started to scrub me.

"We both said things we deeply regret. But, I think it's safe to say we moved past that." I said.

"I agree." Mal said.

After Mal finished, I drained the water in the tub, with us still in it. We then sat in the empty tub, while looking at each other's body. I looked to my left up on the wall by the mirror and saw the time on a clock that was hanging nearby.

"We still got plenty of time." I said.

"What?" Mal asked.

I kissed Mal on the lips and smiled at her seductively. Mal obliged the smiled and I laid on top of her in the tub.

"Whoa, E. I thought you said we didn't have time for this." Mal said.

"Well, we don't have time for a full intercourse, but we do have time for some kisses." I said.

Mal smiled and we started kissing each other like crazy. We were making a lot of love in the tub, but we both really needed it and it was overdue. Ten minutes after, we got out and got ourselves dressed and ready. I had Mal eat the rest of the trail mix I started eating earlier to keep her full until we get to the cafeteria. We put our shoes and jackets on and I grabbed my bag. However, Mal was a little hesitant.

"I don't think I can do this." she said.

I walked over to her and rubbed her shoulders.

"It'll be okay, Mal. I'm right here with you." I said.

Mal sighed and grabbed her bag.

"Okay, Evie. I'm ready." she said.

I gave Mal a kiss on the lips.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too." Mal said.

We kissed once more before leaving our dorm room. It was shortly after eight twenty when we arrived. However, I should've gone to the cafeteria myself like I usually do. Because Mal and I was totally unprepared for what was going to happen. There was a lot of talking going on when we got there, but it got real quiet when Mal and I walked in. When Mal was seen, many people gasped.

"It's okay, everyone. Mal is back to normal." I said.

"Hi." Mal said with a smile and a wave.

But no one said hi back. They just continued to stand there and look at Mal.

"Mal!" shouted a female voice.

We turned and saw Lonnie running towards us.

"Lonnie!" Mal exclaimed.

Lonnie ran up to Mal and the two hugged each other and kissed each other on the cheek.

"Oh, Mal! It's so good to have you back. I've missed you. The real you." Lonnie said.

"Thank you, Lonnie. For helping to bring me back." Mal said.

"Of course! You're my best friend." Lonnie said.

Then Carlos was seen walking up to Mal and I.

"Mal?" he said.

"Carlos!" Mal said.

The two hugged each other.

"Is that really you, Mal?" Carlos asked.

"It is." Mal said.

Carlos gave Mal a hug so tight, Mal's arms were caught in Carlos' hug and was unable to hug him back.

"I love you, Mal." he said.

"I love you too, Carlos." Mal said and kissed him on the cheek.

Mal then looked around the room. Everyone was back to eating but still watching us.

"Where's Jay?" Mal asked.

"Funny. He was with me just now." Lonnie said.

Just as Lonnie was about to call his name, Jay walked up to us.

"There you are. Where were you?" Lonnie asked.

"Just around." Jay said.

"Well look. It's Mal." Lonnie said.

"I see her."

"And she's back."

Mal smiled and waved at Jay.

"Hi, Jay." Mal said.

Mal started to walk towards Jay to give him a hug, but as Mal got close to him, Jay walked back away from Mal. Something was not right.

"Jay, what's wrong?" I asked.

"It's okay. Mal's back to herself again." Carlos said.

"I don't care. What she did is unforgivable." Jay said.

Mal backed away to me and looked down sadly.

"Jay. She was spelled. You know that." Lonnie said.

"It doesn't change what she did. Especially to Evie." Jay said.

"I agree with him." said a female voice.

We all turned to the front door and saw Audrey, Chad and Ben walk into the room.

"What Mal did is unforgivable. And just because she was spelled, doesn't mean she'll get off easy." said Audrey.

"That's enough, Audrey. I'll handle it from here." Ben said.

Lonnie, Carlos and Jay moved away from Mal and myself as Ben walked up to us.

"Hi, Evie. Hi, Mal." he said.

"Hi, Ben." I said.

Ben looked at Mal, who was hiding a little behind me.

"Mal?"

"Hi, Ben." Mal said shyly.

"I'm glad to see you're okay. I'm sorry for what you both went through. I'm sure it wasn't easy." Ben said.

"Enough of this kind of talk. Let's get down to business." Chad said.

"Right. Mal, Evie. Let's go outside and talk." Ben said.

"No. Tell them here and now." Chad said.

"Might as well. Everyone is going to know eventually anyway." Audrey said.

"Alright. I just got back from a meeting with the council." Ben said.

"About me?" Mal asked.

"Duh! What else?" Audrey asked.

Ben gestured Audrey to stop.

"As I was saying, the council wants to expel you." Ben said.

I quietly gasped.

"But...since you were under a spell, I was able to convince them to not expel you." Ben said.

"Which was a mistake." Audrey said.

"And instead you're suspended." Ben said.

"For how long?" I asked.

"Five weeks. Starting today." Ben replied.

Lonnie and Carlos gasped. I looked at Mal, who looked sad and a little out of it.

"Mal? Are you okay?" I said, while touching her on the shoulder.

"Yeah. It's fine. I deserve it. I did wrong, and therefore I accept the punishment." Mal said.

"Personally, I'm really sorry for what you and Evie went through. But I have to do what's right." Ben said.

"Thank you, Ben. We really appreciate it."

"Of course. But I'm sorry to say that Mal isn't allowed on school grounds, or allowed to participate in any after school activities or events. But you're allowed, of course, to be in your dorm room." Ben said.

Mal didn't say anything more. Sadness was written all over her face. Mal walked over to the buffet table and picked out what was left for breakfast. But as she walked back to me, Chad knocked the plate right out of her hands and onto the floor.

"Hey!" Mal exclaimed.

"Don't 'hey' me! After what you did, you don't deserve our food!" he said.

Mal glared at Chad and kicked him as hard as she could in the shin which caused him to jump up and down in pain. Mal took advantage of that and ran out of the cafeteria.

"Mal!" I yelled, but she didn't hear me.

"Let her run away. After everything, I'm quite surprised you're still with her." Audrey said.

"Did you not hear me plead my heart out to her?! Of course I'm still with her!" I said.

"I did. But I thought that after that, not only does Mal's spell goes away, but your love for her would too."

"Oh you would like that, wouldn't you?" Lonnie asked.

"Stay out of this, Lonnie." Audrey said.

"I'll happily involve myself in anything that involves Mal." Lonnie said.

"You're lucky she didn't hurt you. Unlike what she did to Evie." Audrey said.

"Enough! I'm going after Mal." I said.

I quickly went to the buffet table and put some breakfast food on a plate. I cover the plate with some tinfoil that was sitting nearby and put the covered plate in my bag. Afterwards I ran out of the cafeteria to the outside. I looked up and saw the sky darkening. A storm was going to soon happen because the smell of rain was strong.

"Mal?" I yelled.

But I heard no response nor did I see her anywhere. I looked in the direction where the dorm building is and was hoping that she ran back to our room. As I walked to the building, I was thinking to myself about what Ben had said. I was relieved that Mal wasn't expelled. But yet at the same time, kind of disappointed. Because if she was, I would make the arrangements to leave for Canada. However, that option is still on the table.

I walked into our dorm room and looked around for Mal.

"Mal?" I said.

I heard soft crying near my bed. But Mal wasn't seen. But then I noticed movement underneath the bed. I walked over to the bed and lowered myself to the floor to look under, and Mal was seen.

"Baby, what are you doing under here?" I asked.

"Evie. I just want to hide and be left alone." Mal said.

"Baby, you know you don't have to hide from me. Now come here." I said, waving my hand to myself.

Mal crawled out from under the bed and I had her lay on me on the floor. As Mal was laying on me, I rubbed her back while also kissing her. Mal is depressed again. Except this was worse than before. She's very vulnerable right now, and I know I must do everything I can to make her feel safe. I glanced at the clock and saw school was going to start in ten minutes. I stared at the clock, debating whether I should go or not.

"Go ahead, Evie." Mal said, breaking me from my thoughts.

"What?" I asked.

"I know what you're thinking. Whether you should go to class or not." she said.

"Well, yeah. I was." I said.

"Go ahead, Evie. I'll be alright." Mal said.

"Will you?"

"Well, no. Physically, yes. But I don't want you to get in trouble too."

Mal got off me so I could get up.

"Promise me that you won't run away. Promise me that'll you'll be here when I get back." I said.

"I promise." Mal said.

I stared at Mal for a moment before nodding. I have to trust her. And I do. I just don't want to lose her again.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you, too." Mal said.

We kissed a few times before grabbing my bag. I pulled the plate out and put it on the dining table.

"Here's some breakfast for you. Text me if you need anything else. Or if you want to talk. Please, let me know if there is anything I can do for you." I said.

"Just you being here for me is all I need. But I will let you know otherwise. And I will be here when you get back. I promise." Mal said.

I gave Mal a big kiss and felt her cheeks.

"I love you so much." I said.

"I love you too."

After one last kiss, I walked to the door and smiled at her before opening it. Mal smiled back. The smile had some sadness in it, but it was mostly happy. I blew her a kiss and closed the door behind me. I sighed as I started the walk to the outside.

"She'll be okay. She'll be okay." I said to myself.

I was extremely worried. But I tried to put that thought aside. Mal wouldn't want me to worry all day. She would want me to have the best day possible. And I tried. For many days, I tried my best to have the best day possible. But it just wasn't the same without Mal by my side. When lunch time comes, I quickly run back to our dorm room so I can spend some time with her. I barely make it back to class, but it cheers her up to see me. However it pains me to know that Mal spends the days alone and sad in the room when I'm gone.


	35. One Year Anniversary

_One Year Anniversary_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 10:37 am]_

Mal's POV

Three weeks have passed. And things have not gotten any better. Aside from Evie, Lonnie and Carlos were the only ones that were by my side. Everyone else pretty much hates me. The two often comes over to our dorm to try and cheer me up, but it doesn't have much effect. It was Saturday, and Evie woke me up with some breakfast.

"Happy one year, Mal." Evie said.

Oh my god. I completely forgot all about that. I looked down sadly as I realized I had.

"What's wrong?" Evie asked.

"I..I forgot about today. And I didn't get you anything." I said.

"That's okay, Mal. Honestly, I didn't get you anything either. But we have each other. And that's greater than any gift we could've gotten. Besides, I'm not upset that you did. After everything that happened recently, I don't blame you." Evie said.

"At least one of us remembered." I said sadly.

My breakfast was on a tray table that Evie placed in front of me.

"Let's not think anymore about that today. Because today is our day. And let's make the best of it." Evie said.

I softly smiled.

"You got this planned out, don't you?" I asked.

"Kinda."

She gave me a kiss on the cheek after I yawned. I looked at the tray tables and saw two plates with eggs, toast, bacon and on my plate, there were a few strawberries.

"Really?" I asked.

Evie smiled and shrugged.

"Let's eat." she said.

We ate our breakfast together quietly, but happily. After we ate, Evie suggested we should take a bath. I didn't think anything of it and agreed. But Evie didn't want to take a bath to clean ourselves. Instead, she had a whole other reason.

"Evie, what do you have planned?" I asked.

Since I was the only naked and in the tub. Evie leaned over the side of the tub to give me a kiss on the cheek.

"I can only imagine how you've been feeling these last few weeks. And I'm trying my best to help you relax." Evie said.

"I know, E. And I really appreciate you."

"Thanks."

Evie got up and grabbed a small bottle. It was bath bubble liquid. She poured some into my bathwater and swished it around. The lots of foam bubbles appeared. Evie went out into the bedroom for a moment. She then came back and was wearing her silver tiara. I smiled at the sight of that. Evie turned off the bathroom light and got undressed and joined me in the tub. I looked at the long scar on her and Evie noticed and softly kissed me.

"You know I have no hard feelings against you, right?" she asked.

"I do. It's just, as long as it's there, I will always be bothered by it. Even though I don't remember." I said.

"I know. But try not to focus on it. Focus on what's down right below it."

I smiled and kissed her. Evie then laid on me, with her head resting on my chest and it felt so nice to hold her in my arms. The lighting was dim, but it was quiet and it did feel relaxing. We laid in the tub for about an hour, occasionally kissing. Evie shifted herself onto her stomach on me and looked straight at me.

"What?" I asked.

Evie smiled.

"Nothing. Just want to look at your cute face. That's all." she said.

We laid in silence for a little longer until Evie spoke again.

"M?" she said.

"Yeah, E?"

"Do you want to have sex?"

I laughed.

"You just decided to straight out ask me that?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. Would you like to?"

"Sure." I said, smiling.

Evie smiled and winked at me. She turned herself back to remove the tub drain stopper so the water can drain away. After a moment, we laid in the empty tub with only a small amount of bath suds on us and around the tub. It turned me on to the way Evie stretched her body to remove the drain stopper.

"Oh my gosh." I said as I felt myself getting in the mood.

Evie sat on my lap and bent down to kiss me. I put my hands on her back and started to kiss her on her neck and worked my way down to both of her breasts. I focused on them like Evie said and I didn't have one thought about the cut. Evie then moaned loudly as I stuck my finger in her and started to please her. As I was, I gave her many kisses on the lips and cheeks as well as rubbing her back with my free hand. And I focused my eyes on those beautiful brown eyes.

"M?"

"Yes, sweetness?"

"Go faster."

I did as my princess told me. And it wasn't long after when Evie hit her climax. She rested herself on me, panting from exhaustion.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel good." she said.

"I know. Now it's my turn." I said.

"Okay. But here. Put this on." Evie said as she took off her tiara and handed it to me.

"What? Why? You know I don't do tiaras." I said.

"I'm not going to please you until you put it on. Please, baby? Just this once?" Evie asked.

She was giving such a cute face, I couldn't say no.

"Okay." I said.

"Yay!" Evie said.

I put the tiara on my head and Evie gasped.

"Oh, baby, You look so pretty." She said.

"I do?" I asked.

"Yes! It looks nice against your purple hair." Evie said.

We switched our bodies around and I laid on top of Evie and it didn't take long for her to make me reach my climax. Afterwards, we cleaned ourselves up and put our nightdresses on.

We spend the day just relaxing and cuddling. Having a few kissing sessions as well. Later in the late afternoon hours, Evie and I got dressed and went to the city. Evie wanted to buy us something special for dinner. And I didn't find out what it was until a little later. When we got back, we changed back into our nightdresses and laid in bed. I still wore her tiara the whole day. It felt kind of nice to wear it. Mostly because it was Evie's. Our dinner was a nice big plate of spaghetti. The plate was so big, we ate spaghetti off it together. We spoon fed the meatballs to each other and wiped each other's lips with a napkin.

"You know, there's one thing I forgot to tell you." Evie said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"When I was on the Isle searching for the cure to your spell, I ran into my mother." Evie said.

"Oh yeah? And how did that go?"

"She was impressed by my appearance. And told me that I have been taking care of myself well. She thought the reason was I had a prince. But I told her I was dating you instead."

"And how did she take that?"

"Not well. She got angry after I told her. She started saying I was a disappointment and will always be one. And she regrets having me." Evie said.

"And what did you say?" I asked.

"I told her that you're a sweet person and I don't regret being with you. Then I told her I lost my virginity to you and you make me feel real good and told her that one day we will be living in a luxurious home across the world happily together and there's not a damn thing she can do."

I laughed.

"Wow, Evie. You have such a way with words." I said.

"I do. Cause she fainted after that." Evie said.

"She did? Nice! Oh, I can only imagine what my mother would say if she knew about me being with you. Especially since I lost my virginity to you before you lost yours to me." I said.

"And I'd do it again if I could." Evie said.

"Same." I said.

Evie got up and grabbed a red bag she got from a store in the city and pulled out a glass bottle from it.

"What's that?" I asked.

Evie smiled as she handed me the bottle. I looked at the front label.

"Red wine?" I asked.

Evie let out a small giggle.

"It's a special day. So why not drink something special?" she said.

I smiled.

"Okay. I'm up for that." I said.

Evie grabbed a couple of glasses from the small cabinet where we also keep some food. I popped off the lid and Evie filled our glasses.

"To our first year together and may there be many more to come." Evie said.

We clink our glasses together and took a sip. I was a little nervous about having this, but it didn't taste bad at all.

"Remember the last time we drank?" I asked.

"Oh god." Evie said.

"Yeah, you remember. At that bar on the Isle."

"Yes, Mal. I remember." Evie said, unenthused about it.

I softly laughed.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too. Come here."

Evie pulled me into a hug, then a kiss. We continued to drink from our glasses. After finishing off the first glass, Evie filled ours up again. That was my last glass for awhile, but after finishing off her second one, Evie filled hers up again and again. It tasted so good to her, she couldn't resist having more. After four glasses of wine, Evie's words started to sound slurred.

"You know what we should do when we get our house in Canada?" she asked.

"What's that?" I asked.

"We should get one that has a back porch, enclose it so no one can see in, and put a hot tub in it. Then we can skinny dip in the hot tub. That sounds so nice."

Yep, Evie is drunk. However, I smiled at that thought. It does sound nice. I then noticed Evie about to fill up her glass again, but I stopped her.

"No, Evie. You've had enough." I said.

"Oh come on. One more. You've only had two. Let's have one more together and that'll be it. I promise." Evie said.

The bottle was almost empty so Evie wouldn't be able to go back on her word.

"Okay." I said.

"Yay!" Evie exclaimed.

Evie's hands were shaking a bit, so I filled our glasses for her. There was just enough wine to fill both our glasses. Evie drank hers real quick, which I think make her even more intoxicated. I took her empty glass from her and set it aside on the nearby nightstand.

"Stick your finger in me." Evie said.

"What?" I asked, making sure I heard right.

"You heard me. Stick your finger in me." Evie said as she lifted up her nightdress, revealing her naked body.

Evie made a soft little moan as I did. Evie moved herself up and down on my finger, making her do her own self.

"E?"

"Oh, baby. I want to have sex with you everyday for the rest of my life. No matter what anyone says, we're gonna do it."

Evie started to make some really loud moans. I kissed her, trying to muffle the moans. I was afraid if someone was walking by, they might hear her.

"Easy on the moans, E." I said.

"I can't help it. You just feel so good inside of me." Evie said.

Yep. Evie is even more drunk now. But I kinda like this version of her. Being a little more sexual than she normally is. It was turning me on for sure.

"You want to feel good, Evie?" I asked.

"Yes, baby girl." Evie replied.

I put my half empty wine glass on the end table and smiled as I moved my finger in her at a fast pace. Evie moaned more and more, but was able to control the volume.

"Oh, Mal baby! Make me your girl!" Evie said.

"You already are." I said.

We took each others nightdress off so we can look at each other's bare bodies. Really for Evie to look at me.

"You're so fucking hot, M!" Evie said.

My eyebrows raised after hearing that. Evie never says such bad words. But again, I like this version of her.

"So are you, E." I said.

"Yes, but you really are hot. You're so damn hot. And my tiara makes you so damn desirable."

With my free hand, I massage Evie's breasts until she made a quick loud whimper.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm close. I feel like I'm going to.."

I move Evie around so her back was on me. I took my finger out and rubbed her until she had her second orgasm of the day. Some of her liquids were on me, no doubt. And I licked my finger clean.

"You sure are delicious, Evie." I said.

"I know I am. I'm so tasty." Evie said.

I softly laughed. Evie laid right next to me and caressed my belly.

"You know, E. When it's our time to move to Canada, I'll make sure we get the nicest house we can afford." I said.

"That'll be nice. Can we get a hot tub with it?" Evie asked.

"We sure can. And we'll have sex in the hot tub too."

"That sounds nice. I can't wait."

Evie moved herself even closer to me, partially laying on me. I covered us with the blanket and rubbed her back.

"You know, Evie, you are the most wonderful girl I've ever known. I really appreciate you sticking with me all this time. And I know, it's because you love me. But I just want to let you know that I really do appreciate you. And I love you very much."

"Love you too." Evie mumbled.

We kissed and I turned over and laid on my back, looking up at the ceiling.

"I've done a little more sketches on how my dream house should look and I'll have to show you them sometime. We're already kind of rich now. Having a couple thousand dollars. I can only imagine how much we'll have in a few years. We'll probably be very rich by then. But I'll find us a nice house. So nice, we'll be happily living together. Just the two of us. And then maybe sometime we can get married. Cause I'd love to be married to you someday. How does that sound, Evie?"

After not hearing a response, I looked at Evie. She had fallen asleep, or really, passed out. I smiled and drank the rest of my wine. I got up from bed and put the glasses and the bottle on our dining table and turned off the lights. Lastly, I laid closely next to Evie and gave her a kiss. And soon fell asleep myself.

The next morning, Evie woke up with a big hangover, and I was glad I was able to take care of her for a change. She only remembered certain parts of what happened before she passed out. And She felt embarrassed about how drunk she was and how she acted. But I told her it was fine since she was only that way to me. And Evie thanked me for giving her a good time. Despite everything that has happened recently, that was a great one year anniversary.


	36. Attempting To Make Amends

_Attempting To Make Amends_

[_Auradon Prep. 8:55 am_]

Mal's POV

Five weeks have finally passed and it was time for me to return to school. I was extremely nervous. But Evie tried her best to make me feel better. And when Evie and I went to the lockers to get our stuff, I still didn't feel right about this.

"Evie, I'm not feeling it today. I think I'm going to go back to our dorm." I said.

"Mal, it's alright. I'm right here with you. Everything is going to be okay." Evie said.

"But, Evie. I really don't want to go to class."

"Mal, you have to." Evie said.

"Evie, I don't want to!" I said, raising my voice a little.

"Hey! Don't yell at her!" said a voice.

We turned and saw two girls approaching us.

"You're lucky she's even still with you. Considering everything you have done." said the first girl.

"If I were you, I'd be very careful on how I act. You're on very thin ice around here." said the other girl.

"Girls, thank you, but I can handle this." Evie said.

"Fine. But we're not leaving until we hear Mal apologize to you."

The four of us stood in an awkward silence. I was nervous, and didn't know what to say.

"Well, we're waiting." said the other girl.

I turned to Evie.

"I'm sorry, Evie. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's alright, Mal. I forgive you." Evie said.

I turned back to the two girls.

"Satisfied?" I asked.

They scoffed at me and started to walk away. The first girl pushing past me.

"Thin ice." she said.

As soon as they were gone, I felt like I could cry. The day didn't get any better and everything was not okay. No one has really spoken to me. Lunch time took forever to arrive, but it didn't mean things got better. When Evie and I got our lunch, Lonnie and Carlos had us sit at a table with them. Jane was at the table as well, but she said she remembered that she had to meet her mother at the library. Which was a lie, but I wasn't going to say anything. Jay walked by our table. It seemed he was going to keep walking away until Lonnie stopped him and led him back.

"I don't want to sit by her." he said.

"Her?" Lonnie asked.

Jay then glared at me. He meant me.

"Jay, come on. Mal's your sister." Evie said.

"Not anymore. After what she's done to you, I don't consider her my sister anymore." he said.

I looked down sadly. That really hurt.

"Jay." said Lonnie.

"I'm sorry. But that's just how I feel. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat somewhere else."

Jay walked away and I quietly cried. Evie hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.

"It doesn't make any difference that I was spelled. Everyone hates me." I said.

"Lonnie, Carlos and I don't hate you." Evie said.

"It doesn't-"

I was about to say "it doesn't matter". But it does. And I'm grateful that Lonnie, Carlos, and especially Evie, don't hate me. Evie and I have a very strong relationship. Although right now, I don't always see that.

"Never mind." I said.

We ate the rest of our lunch in quiet. The rest of the day was hell. The other class I didn't have with Evie, I was forced to sit in the back of the classroom away from everyone else. Excluded from all the fun activities. And I so wanted to grab my bag and run out of the classroom. But I know Evie wouldn't be happy with me if I did.

[_Auradon Prep. 4:00 pm_]

Lonnie's POV

After the last bell rang and everyone was leaving their final class of the day, I caught up with Jay. He was walking to the tourney field. And was on his way to meet with Carlos and the rest of the team for practice.

"Hey, Jay!" I said.

"Oh, hi, Lonnie."

After we kissed, Jay started to walk again, but I stopped him.

"What is it, Lonnie?" Jay asked.

"We need to talk for a minute." I replied.

"About what?"

"Mal."

Jay sighed and dropped his bag.

"What is there about Mal to talk about? I already said what I felt." Jay said.

"Yes, but it doesn't make anysense. How could you say that Mal isn't your sister anymore? Did you not see how hurt she was to hear that?"

"Look, Lonnie. I really don't have time to talk about this right now. I need to get to practice."

"I know. It's just, Mal is quite low-spirited right now. And she could use all the friends and family she has. Including you. You two had a strong bond as a family. And I don't understand what caused you to feel otherwise." I said.

"I don't know either. I guess something happened when Mal almost killed Evie at the bridge. And then when she cut Evie twice. Mal was evil, but she wasn't like that before."

"I guess all that was a little traumatic for you."

"Maybe."

"Then you should talk to her. Tell Mal how you feel. Tell her what you just told me, and I'm sure you two can make up and be a family again."

"No!" Jay exclaimed as he clenched his fists.

I jumped back as his voice echoed a little.

"I can't do that. I don't feel right about that for the time being." Jay said.

"Okay. I'm not trying to force you to change your mind. If that's how you feel, then I'll respect that. Just think about it, okay?" I asked.

"Okay." Jay said.

I then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too."

I patted him on the shoulder and walked away. Hopefully leaving something on his mind.

Mal's POV

After our last class, I met up with Evie in the hallway. When I saw her, I immediately ran up to her and cried in her arms. Evie did her best to soothe me and led me back to our room.

"Tell me what happened." she said.

"It was the most horrible day I've ever had here! Nobody likes me anymore and I was forced to sit in the back of the room." I said.

Evie tightened her grip on me as I started to cry even more.

"Shh, it's okay, baby." Evie whispered.

I calmed myself a little and looked at her.

"Since I still have you. I guess it will be." I said.

Evie smiled and nodded. Just then there was a knock at the door. Evie gave me a kiss before getting up and opening the door. And guess who was at the door.

"Hello, Audrey." Evie greeted.

Damn it. That's the last person I need to see.

"Hi, Evie. I haven't got long, but I want to tell you something."

"Okay. What's up?"

"This Friday, I'm hosting a party at the tourney field." Audrey said.

"A party? That sounds fun." Evie said, looking back at me.

All I did was softly smile.

"Except Mal isn't invited." Audrey said.

Evie quickly looked back at Audrey.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. But I don't need any confrontations or fights happening."

"Come on. You know Mal wouldn't do that."

"Actually, I don't."

I wiped my tears and got up. I want things to go better. And I'm willing to do anything to make it happen. I walked over to the door and stood next to Evie, but in front of Audrey.

"Audrey, I'm really sorry for what I'm done. I'm telling the truth when I say I don't remember. But, it doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it. I've hurt a lot of people. And I would do anything to make things right. We don't have to be friends, but...can we have a truce?" I asked.

I raised my hand out. Audrey looked at me and sighed. And right when she was about to say something, her phone beeped. She pulled it out and looked at it.

"Look, as I said, I don't have much time. We'll talk later. Bye." Audrey said.

Audrey quickly walked away.

"Bye." Evie said.

I let my hand down and walked back over to the bed. Evie closed the door and walked over to me and gave me a big kiss on the cheek.

"That was a very, very nice thing for you to do. I'm proud of you, Mal."

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I'm invited to her party."

"I don't have to go. I can stay here with you." Evie said.

"No. If you want to go, then you can go. I don't mind." I said.

The next day arrived, and things are still the same. Jay hasn't spoken to me yet, and I didn't know when he will. When lunchtime arrived, Evie took me a private area for us to talk.

"Tell me how you're feeling." Evie said.

"I'm alright." I said.

"Are you?"

"Well, no."

"Mal, talk to me."

I sighed and sat on a nearby bench. Evie sat next to me and rubbed my back.

"I've been thinking a lot. And I feel like doing something worth getting expelled for."

Evie lightly gasped.

"No, baby. Please don't." she said.

"Don't worry, I won't. I'm just saying I feel like it. But I won't. I'm just trying to keep a positive mind. Something good has to happen soon." I said.

"I'm sure something will. You know what they say, something good always comes out of something bad." Evie said.

"I have yet to see that." I said.

"Well, like you said, keep a positive mind. I know this won't go on forever. No one is going to hate you forever. Let's just give them some time."

I nodded.

"Okay, Evie."

The next day during passing period, I went to my locker to get a workbook, and Audrey was at her locker getting some books of her own. Evie was on her way over, but this gave me a chance to talk to Audrey alone.

"Hi, Audrey." I said kindly.

I want to try again to make things right with her.

"Oh, hello, Mal." Audrey said calmly.

"Listen, I want to say I'm very sorry if I hurt you in any way when I was…"

"Spelled?"

"Yes."

Audrey sighed and folded her arms.

"Well, you didn't hurt me too badly. Unlike what you did to the others. But you did try to kill me and Jane." she said.

"So I was told. But I'm really sorry. I truly am." I said.

"If you were truly sorry. You would start making things right." Audrey said.

"And I am. Starting with you. You and I have not got along since day one, and I want to change that. I've heard a lot about you. And you sound like a very fun person. And I would definitely like to hang out with you sometime. As friends." I said.

Audrey lightly scoffed.

"You know, Evie was telling me something similar like that awhile back. She said that she'd like to see you and I overcome our differences and become friends." Audrey said.

"Yes! See? Evie believes it can happen." I said.

"Well, she didn't say that."

I reached my hand out to her.

"Please, Audrey. Let's leave the past in the past. And let's start over. We'll get to know each other and we should hang out sometime." I said.

Audrey looked at my hand, then looked at me. Then the bell rang. Passing period was halfway over.

"Goodbye, Mal." Audrey said before closing her locker.

"Wait, Audrey!" I said.

"What?"

"Please. One chance. That's all I ask." I said.

Audrey grabbed my hand and lowered it down to my leg.

"I'm sorry, Mal. I may be able to forgive you one day. But I don't see how you and I could ever become friends." she said.

Audrey grabbed her bag and put it over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Mal." she said once again.

Audrey then walked away and I rubbed my eyes, beginning to softly cry.

"Well, I guess I did all I could." I said.

Fast forwarding to Friday evening, because nothing else good has happened for the remainder of the week and I don't feel like talking more about the bad times. Evie got herself ready for the party. She put on a light blue colored dress with silver bracelets and black and blue heels. I laid in her bed wearing my regular clothes. I was going to change into my nightdress, but decided to wait until Evie returns back.

"Now, are you sure you're okay with me going? Because I can stay here instead." Evie said.

"No, E. I'm sure. I want you to have a good time." I said.

"Okay. Well I'll have my phone on me. Let me know if you need anything, or if you want me to come straight back. Because I will."

I smiled and kissed Evie.

"I'll be alright." I said.

"Okay. I love you, baby."

"I love you too, sweetness."

We kissed once more, then Evie left the room to go to the tourney field where Audrey's having her party.


	37. The Party And Reprisal

_The Party And Reprisal_

[_Tourney Field. 7:00 pm]_

Audrey's POV

My party was basically a small get together. A total of fourteen people were there. And number fifteen was about to show up. After talking to Jane and a few other friends, I walked over to a table where I placed a few pitchers of juice, each one having a different flavor, along with some plates of fruits and small sliced sandwiches and a plate of crackers with cheese. After straightening some of the plates, I turned behind me and saw a beautiful girl walking up. Princess Evie. Or at least she is a princess to me now.

"Hi, Evie! Welcome! Glad you can be here!" I said.

"Hello, Audrey. I'm glad to be here." Evie said.

I speed walked up to her and gave her a big hug. After the hug, I looked at her outfit.

"Wow, Evie. You look so beautiful. Did you get dressed up for me?" I asked.

"I did. I always have to look my best when I'm going to a special occasion." Evie replied.

"You always do look beautiful." I said.

I gave her a kiss on the cheek and led her over to the table.

"Would you like a snack, Evie?" I asked.

"Okay." Evie said.

I grabbed a plate for her.

"What would you like?" I asked.

Evie looked at everything. My eyes kept looking at her face. Her hair and her makeup is perfect.

"Aw, no cookies?" Evie asked.

I smiled.

"No, sorry. I only make that for myself. And you." I replied.

I couldn't help but blush after saying that. It's something special I have with Evie. And I would never share that with anyone else.

"I'll have one sandwich and some pieces of pineapple, please." Evie said.

"You got it." I said and happily put some on her plate and handed it to her.

I stood off to the side and watched Evie eat.

"_She is so dreamy._" I thought.

After Evie finished her snack, the music that was playing changed from a dance beat into a more relaxing vibe.

"Would you like to dance?" I asked, holding out my hands.

"Oh! Um, sure, Audrey." Evie said.

We held each other's hands and slowly danced to the rhythm of the music. And to me, it felt so magical. Me, dancing with the prettiest girl in school. Normally, I'd say I'm the prettiest, but I don't mind at all being the second, if Evie's the first.

"Evie, we should do this more often." I said.

"We should?" Evie asked.

"Yes! Isn't this great?"

"I suppose so."

I know her mind is set on still being with Mal. But I must persuade her heart to be with someone else.

"Evie, I'd like to take you out sometime." I said.

"Oh, um..."

"Now, now. You don't have to say anything. I just want to tell you. But let's be serious about something." I said.

"What's that?" Evie asked.

"Mal." I replied.

Evie let go of my hands and our little dance stopped. She turned away from me and crossed her arms.

"Evie, please don't be upset. I just want to tell you how I feel. Is that so bad?" I asked.

Evie sighed.

"No, I guess not." she said.

"Evie, there is this cute guy who is in my economics class. And he's single and he's looking for a nice classy girl. And I told him I might know someone." I said.

"Audrey! You know I'm not into boys." Evie said sternly.

"Okay. That's okay. It doesn't have to be a guy. I get that and I totally respect that. I'm sure I know a couple of girls who wouldn't mind going out with you. Myself included." I said.

"Audrey, I'm fine with who I'm with. I told you. Mal and I are very close. And I can't just dump her and leave her heartbroken. You may not know it, but she has feelings too. And I can never do that to her." Evie said.

"Evie-"

"I'm sorry, but my decision is final. I'm with Mal and that's it." Evie said.

She walked over to the table and grabbed a cup. I watched her as she filled it with some fruit punch. This cannot be. Evie deserves someone better. There's a reason why she's with Mal. As Evie was looking away from me while drinking her punch, I noticed the scar she got from Mal's sword a bit just below her right shoulder. Her dress was covering the majority of it, but it was still a little noticeable.

"_Mal must be somehow forcing Evie to stay with her._" I thought.

It's gotta be. If Evie's being forced to stay with Mal, then I'll put an end to it. I walked over to Jane and asked her to keep Evie entertained while I step out for a bit. She happily agreed and started talking to Evie. And I snuck out of the tourney field and headed towards the dorms.

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 8:13 pm_]

Mal's POV

I was in my bed, reading a book, when I heard a knock at the door. I smiled, thinking Evie is playing a little game with me. I closed my book and walked over to the door and opened it. But I got quite a surprise.

"Audrey?"

"Correct."

"What are you doing here? Where's Evie?" I asked.

"Oh, it'll be a little bit before she gets back. She's still at the tourney field. But I thought I'd stop by and pay you a little visit."

"Pay me a visit? You would never do that." I said.

"Normally, no. But I've come by because I have a proposition for you. May I come in?" Audrey asked.

I sighed. I was about to tell her off, when I started thinking that she may want to talk about a truce. So I opened the door and waved her in. Audrey walked in and I closed the door.

"A proposition?" I asked.

"It's simple, Mal. You break up with Evie, and I will never be loathsome to you again."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. And not in the best ways.

"You're kidding." I said.

"Nope." Audrey said, looking serious.

Well, this isn't what I thought it was going to be.

"I see. That way, you'll be happy, because Evie will be with you. And the only reason you say you'll never be loathsome to me again, is because it's not a deal if it only goes one way."

"I love Evie. There are times I dream about her. Her and I are perfect. Think about it, we're both fabulous designers, that's our biggest thing in common. We're both hot, popular, and totally meant for each other." Audrey said.

"Yeah. Only in your dreams, Audrey." I said.

"Evie hasn't admitted her love for me because she's with you. But if you break up from her, she'll finally be free from your ascendancy."

I scoffed.

"That's what you're calling it?" I asked.

"You're forcing Evie to be with you! And Evie is afraid of you, Mal! You know what you did when she suggested a break. Imagine what you would have done if she suggested a break up."

I started to feel angry. Audrey is crossing a line.

"Listen, Audrey. You don't know Evie like I do. Evie and I have a long history. Most of it not good, but nevertheless, _we_, her and I, are meant to be! I'm not forcing Evie to be with me! And she is not afraid of me! She loves me! She cares about me! You're just delusional!"

Audrey smiled and looked at the mirror in our room and straighten her hair.

"You know, Mal. Evie told me something earlier at the party. She told me that she hasn't fully forgave you for what you did when you were so called 'spelled'. You almost killed her at the bridge by the lake, and she has nightmares about that time. Except in her dreams, Jay doesn't help her. No. She falls to her death every time." she said.

"You're lying. If Evie was having nightmares, she would've told me." I said.

"There's a lot she hasn't told you. She only confides in me because she trusts me, and she's afraid to tell you because of what you're capable of."

I slammed by hand on the dining table. Audrey stopped checking herself out in the mirror and looked at me.

"You need to leave. You need to get out of this room." I said as I pointed to the door.

"Fine. But remember way back, a few weeks before the end of last school year? When you were at the cafeteria one morning, getting breakfast for yourself and Evie? And you spilt orange juice on me? Remember that?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah, so?" I asked.

"Remember when I said that your relationship with Evie will one day end?"

"What about it?!" I asked, feeling fumed.

"Well, I have a strong feeling that time, that day, is upon us. It's just a matter of time before Evie takes things under her control. She's already tired of you. She has been since she freed you since your, whatever curse you had."

I was trying so hard to control myself. I know Audrey is lying. She's definitely making things up to get me. I kept telling myself inside to calm down and channel my anger like Evie told me. But as Audrey kept going on and on, it became more and more difficult.

"Go, now!" I said.

"Alright. One last thing." Audrey said.

"What now?!"

"Evie deserves better than you. She deserves a girl who will treat her like a princess. The way she deserves to be treated. She needs a girl who can take care of herself. Unlike you, who has Evie do everything for you."

"Evie takes care of me because she likes to! I tried to tell her it's not necessary, but she insists! So I'm not going to hurt her feelings by telling her to back off! Evie loves me for who I am!" I yelled.

"Whatever, Mal! Evie should leave you! She should leave you and be with someone like me! And when Evie and I are together, everyone will be so fascinated by us that they'll forget about you. You'll be all alone in this world. You have no family. No one will love you. You might as well just run away and die. Because who would take care of you? Certainly not your mother." Audrey said.

I couldn't hold myself back anymore. I walked by Evie's bed and grabbed the lamp off the nightstand. I forcefully yanked it out of the outlet and threw it as hard as I could right at Audrey's head. The lamp was glass, so it smashed into pieces as it crashed into Audrey's face. Audrey screamed in pain, as some cuts on her skin was seen. She went for the door, but I ran over to her and grabbed her and turned her around to throw her to the floor. I kneeled down and grabbed her by her hair.

"You disrespected me for the last time! I tried to be nice to you, I tried to make amends with you! I really did! But you made it very difficult!" I said in her ear.

"I take back what I said about you." Audrey said.

"What? What did you say about me?" I asked.

"After we saw the spell leave your body, you were knocked out. We thought you were dead, but after finding out that you still had a pulse, I said that even you don't deserve to die."

"And?"

"I take that back. You _do _deserve to die! You should've! Yes Evie would've been heartbroken at first, but she would be grateful because she would soon find out what a bitch you are! And I would be there to comfort her! And we would be together right now!"

I lifted Audrey up with my left hand and punched her with my right hand. Audrey fell to the floor, yelling in pain.

"Let me show you what this bitch can do!" I said.

Audrey quickly got up, but I punched her again, causing her to fall back down. I then grabbed her and swung her across the room, causing her to crash into the dining table. I was feeling so much anger. Fuming, vexing, outrage, fury, you name it. I don't believe I was this angry before. Even over ten years ago. Wanting to hurt her more, I looked around the room for something I can use as a weapon. My eyes set on a ten inch, large candle holder. I grabbed it by the part where the candle sits on and whacked Audrey in the head.

Audrey screamed in pain as the force of the collision caused the candle holder to break into two pieces. I threw the piece I was holding at Audrey and grabbed her and threw her across the room once more. Audrey hit the wall right below a window. I stopped and thought about what I could do for the final move. I saw an empty flower vase and quickly grabbed it and stood in front of Audrey. Audrey looked horrible, but good to me at the moment. She had tears in her eyes and had cuts on her face and arms. Blood was seen around all of them. And her mouth was bleeding a little as well.

"Any last words?" I asked.

"Mal, please stop. I'm sorry." Audrey said.

"Not sorry enough." I said.

I raised the flower vase in the air, preparing to swing it down at Audrey full force.

"Mal, don't!" a voice said.

I looked behind me and saw Evie in front of the closed door.

"Baby, don't. Please. She's not worth it." Evie said.

I looked back at Audrey, who was panting from exhaustion. I lowered my arm and let the vase drop to the floor. Audrey got up and ran over to Evie.

"Evie, thank god you're here! She was trying to kill me!" she said.

"I know. Are you okay?" Evie asked.

"I'm fine. My back hurts by being thrown around, and I have cuts, but I'm fine."

"You should go, Audrey. Get yourself taken care of." Evie said.

"What? After what Mal has just done to me? What are you going to do to her?"

"I'm going to talk to her."

"No. That's not enough! She deserves to be punished for what she did. Evie, she just beat up your best friend!"

"I know!"

"And you don't seem to care."

Evie sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"You need to break up with her. She's dangerous and you know it. After everything she's done, why are you still with her?" Audrey asked.

"Because I love her. More than anything in the world. She's wonderful and attractive. And unlike you, she's charismatic. She doesn't boast and she's not egotistical. She has a caring and loving heart. And she tried to make things right. But when people like you make things hard and irritate her, she has no choice but to retaliate back."

"But I was trying to make things right. I came here to offer a truce, but she got angry and started attacking me for no reason!" Audrey said.

"Bullshit!" Evie exclaimed.

Audrey and I looked up in shock. Evie never swears like that, and not only did it scare Audrey, but it kind of scared me too. Evie grabbed Audrey by the collar of her dress.

"Listen, Audrey. I heard what you said to Mal. I was standing outside the door listening. I heard you say that I was afraid of Mal. And I was having nightmares about her. And telling my baby that no one will love her and she should die. I heard it all!" Evie said.

"Then you heard me get beat up." Audrey said.

"Yes. I came in the room after Mal threw you to that window. I wanted Mal to express her feelings. Nothing wrong with that."

Evie let go of Audrey and pushed her back.

"What would you do? What would you do if you were in my position and Mal beat you up like she just beat me up?" Audrey asked.

"Mal would never hurt me." Evie replied.

"Right. But let's say after you had your argument that night, Mal came back and beat the crap out of you? What would you do?"

"I don't know. That never happened. So there's no reason to think about that."

"So you have no care about what Mal just did to me?" Audrey asked.

"I'm not going to answer that, but you need to leave now." Evie said.

"Fine. But hear me, Evie. Mal is not going to get away with what she did. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to tell Ben and no later than Monday, Mal will be punished. She assaulted me. She assaulted a royal member, and that is a capital offense. And that is something she will definitely not get away with it. Enjoy your final days of freedom, Mal. Because on Monday, you will be in a world of punishment!"

Audrey walked out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

Evie's POV

After Audrey left. I walked over to Mal and put my arms around her. Mal put her arms around me and our foreheads touched.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I should've known this whole party was just a setup to get you." I said.

"Don't worry about it, Evie. What's done is done." Mal said.

"Yes. I'll never forgive her for provoking you. You did the right thing, Mal. You taught her a lesson." I said, winking afterwards.

Mal smiled.

"Sorry for beating up your best friend." she said.

I smiled.

"No worries. Besides, she really wasn't. All she wanted was to be together with me. You're my best friend, Mal. And my girlfriend." I said.

I gave her a kiss on the lips and made sure Mal was okay and we straightened the room back up and cleaned up the shattered lamp. Afterwards, we changed into our nightshirts and went to bed. Mal fell asleep before I did. I fell asleep later on. But shortly after three in the morning, I woke up and started thinking about what Audrey told me.

"_Enjoy your final days of freedom, Mal. Because on Monday, you will be in a world of punishment!_"

There's no telling what will be in store for Mal. Indeed what Mal has done was wrong, but I couldn't help but feel that Audrey deserved it. However, Mal's punishment will no doubt be very unmerciful. And I can't let her be around for that. Mal's been in a lot of depression lately. Ever since she was freed from her spell, nothing has been the same since, which makes Mal very depressed. The only thing I can think of now to make her happy again is to take her to Canada. I got out of bed and looked out the window and saw the moonlight reflecting off the ocean's waters in the distance. I have less than three days to get things prepared.

I looked back at Mal, who was still fast asleep. I then glared at the door. My decision has been made. Mal and I are going to run away. I grabbed a piece of paper from my school bag and started to write Mal a note.

"_Mal, I'm not feeling well, so I'm out for a walk right now. Call or text me if you need me._"

I left the note on the dining table and changed my clothes. I straightened my hair, put my shoes on as well as my jacket, grabbed my phone and quietly left the dorm room.

"It's time. We're going to Canada." I whispered to myself.


	38. Vessel Preparation

_Vessel Preparation_

[_Belle's Harbor. 3:48 am_]

Evie's POV

I made the long walk to the harbor. When I got there, there were a few light posts on. It wasn't much, but it was enough to see my way around. I looked at all the boats docked at the ports.

"I need a boat I can use to make the long journey to Canada." I said.

I hate having to steal, but I seriously doubt Mal and I will come back. So therefore, it didn't make any difference to me. After looking at a lot of boats, I sat down at the edge of a dock, with my feet dangling over the water. I sighed as I looked out into the ocean.

"What am I going to do? Mal can't stay here anymore. If she does, God only knows what will happen to her." I said.

Just then, some water splashed right in front of me. I screamed as I saw a black and white porpoise looking at me. I sighed and smiled.

"Oh, hi. You scared me." I said to it.

The porpoise make a squeaking noise.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing out here at this time of night." I said.

The porpoise nodded. Almost like it understands me.

"Well, it's a long story, but to make it short, it started with my girlfriend, Mal, being under a spell that was created by her evil mother. I was able to free her from the spell and now pretty much the whole school hates her now. My so called friend, Audrey, invited me to a party she was throwing, but I think it was just a set up. Because when I got back to my dorm room, I found Audrey taunting Mal. Mal beat Audrey up and since Audrey is royalty, Mal consequence will no doubt be bad."

The porpoise continued to look at me as I explained what was going on to it. It was amazing. It may not understand everything I was saying, but it felt comforting to know it was listening.

"So I'm here to find a boat to use to take myself and Mal across the world to Canada. Mal dreamed about herself and me living there. And it's time to make that dream come true. But I need to find a good boat." I said.

I looked at the porpoise even more.

"Hey, can you help me find a good boat?" I asked it.

The porpoise nodded and dived underwater. I stood up and looked around for it. A few docks down, it surfaced and started squeaking. I walked over to it and saw the boat the porpoise picked for me. It sounds silly, I know. But who else would know about boats around here at this time? The boat looked really nice. It was a big white and blue yacht. It looked to be about forty feet long. It had a covered bridge and windows near the bottom which looked like they belong to cabins for sleeping.

"Looks nice." I said.

I got aboard it and pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight. I saw the bridge and the controls were clean and organized. There were two big screen monitors and three smaller screen monitors. Which I have no idea what they were for, but the steering wheel was a nice grey and silver color. There were two white seats behind the controls. I sat down in one of them and they felt cushiony.

"This feels really good." I said.

I got up and turned around and saw a good size seating area with a square table behind it. There was a lot of white, but it looked nice. On the floor was a square with a silver handle. I grabbed it and discovered it was a door leading to the engine room. I closed the door and continued walking around. There were some nice amenities. A tv, mini fridge, small grill, good amount of storage space. I looked back at the seating area and smiled as I envisioned Mal and I making out there. I walked towards the stern and saw the boat had a nice deck with metal railing around it.

"Now where's the entrance to the cabin?"

I walked back to the bridge and looked around. To the far left of the controls, portside of the boat, I saw a rectangular shaped door. I opened it and shined my light in it.

"Oh my gosh!" I said.

I walked down three steps and turned around and saw the main living area. It was nice too. The seating was set up just like the outside, expect this was more private. A small square table too, except the square table was able to convert into a bigger triangle table. I walked down a small hallway and gasped again.

"This is amazing!" I said.

I found myself looking at a full on kitchen. Oak cabinets, stainless steel refrigerator, sink and microwave. The countertops were gray with a little white mixed in. I saw an open door that led to the private sleeping quarters. It was a small room. Due to the full size bed taking over most of the square footage, but it was still amazing. There were two nightstands by both sides of the head, as well as a built in dresser in the left side of the room. I looked to the right and saw a bathroom as well with a small walk in shower. I opened a door that was by the open door of the bedroom and laughed. Thinking it was a closet, when really there was a washer and dryer stacked on top of each other.

"Oh, this is perfect!" I said.

The perfect boat to use for our journey. I walked out of the boat and jumped onto the dock. The porpoise was waiting in the same spot. I kneeled down to it and it allowed me to pet it.

"Thank you so much! You know, you're helping make a girl's dream come true. Thank you. I'm so grateful to you." I said to it.

The porpoise squealed in delight. I gave the porpoise a big kiss on the forehead and rubbed it's sides. I then took my phone out and took a few pictures of it.

"I'll always remember you. Thank you." I said.

The porpoise squeaked again and jumped out and in the water before diving again. I never saw the black and white porpoise again. But I felt that meeting it was meant to be. I took a picture of the boat so I'll remember what it looks so I can use it to take Mal to Canada. Our final days in Auradon has begun.


	39. Preparing To Leave Auradon

_Preparing To Leave Auradon_

[Mal and Evie's dorm room. 4:56 am]

Evie's POV

I returned back to our dorm room and saw Mal walking out of the bathroom. She noticed me and ran up to me and hugged me.

"E, where have you been?" she asked.

"I've been...out." I said.

I kissed her forehead and led her to my bed.

"What do you mean? Evie, where did you go?"

I sighed and held her hands. They felt cold, yet soft.

"Mal, we need to pack our things. Because…we're leaving. We need to leave Auradon."

Mal was shocked. As it's kind of a shock to me.

"Are we going to…?"

"Canada? Yes." I said.

Mal let go of my hands and looked around the room.

"Wow. I...I didn't think it would be this soon...And so sudden." she said.

"I know. Neither did I. But we have no choice. Audrey's going to tell Ben what you did. And I don't want to think about what could happen to you. Monday morning, he could show up here with guards and take you away. And I don't want that."

"What I did was wrong." Mal said.

"To some. Not to me." I said.

Mal softly smiled and rested her head on my lap. I stroked her hair and gave her a kiss.

"Babe, there is nothing more I want in this world than to spend my life with you. And I know you want the same with me. Therefore, we can't be here anymore. Auradon is no longer the place for us." I said.

"So how will we leave?" Mal asked, looking up at me.

"I got us a boat. A yacht actually. We'll use it to sail to Canada." I replied.

"Is it a nice one?"

"Very nice. You're gonna love it."

"So when do we leave?" Mal asked.

"Monday morning." I replied.

"Monday morning? But that's when they might show up."

"They'll show up. But we'll leave before they do. I was thinking we leave at dawn. Right when the sun comes up. That way, we have a little extra time here." I said.

Mal shown a little smile.

"You got this planned out, don't you?" she asked.

"I think so." I said.

"Well, I guess we should start packing." she said.

"Yes. Let's get a little more sleep. I haven't got much."

"Okay."

"And in the morning, I'll call Lonnie and Carlos and have them come over. We'll want to spend as much time as we can with them before we leave." I said.

Later in the morning, we woke back up and got dressed. I went to the city and got Mal and I some breakfast. And Lonnie and Carlos came over shortly after we dug out our suitcases and bags from the closet. It was the ones we brought from when we first came to Auradon from the Isle.

"So you two are leaving for Canada?" Carlos asked.

"This is really happening?" Lonnie asked.

"I'm afraid so. Mal can't be here anymore."

"Why not?" Carlos asked.

Mal sighed and sat on the edge of her bed near him.

"I beat Audrey up last night." she said.

"What?" Carlos and Lonnie said at the same time.

I knew Mal was going to have a hard time explaining, so I decided to step in and help.

"I was at a party that Audrey was having last night. But I think it was just a setup to get Mal. Because I came back to find Mal had beaten up Audrey because Audrey was saying some horrible things to Mal." I said.

"How badly did you beat her?" Lonnie asked Mal.

Mal shrugged.

"Not too badly. I mean, there were cuts on her cause I threw a glass lamp at her face. And I whacked her in the head with a candle holder. She was bleeding from the mouth. And I threw her across the room a couple times." she said.

"Sounds like you gave her what she deserved. You taught her a lesson." Carlos said.

Mal softly smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so." Mal replied with a bigger smile.

"That's what I told her." I said.

"But now you two have to run away?" Lonnie asked.

"I'm afraid so. We don't want Mal to be locked up or sent back to the Isle, so therefore, we'll exile ourselves to Canada."

"That's an interesting way of putting it." Carlos said.

"There's no other way." I said.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Mal quickly hid behind me with her hands on my sides. We all got quite nervous right away. But we couldn't keep whoever was on the other side waiting.

"Carlos, go ahead and open the door." I said.

"Okay." Carlos said.

He grabbed the door handle and turned it. All of us on pins and needles. When the door was opened, Jane was standing at the entrance of our room. I mentally sighed, but still was nervous for I know Jane is close to Audrey.

"Jane? What's up?" Carlos asked.

But Mal wasn't afraid anymore. She wasn't afraid of Jane for she walked right up to her. Because she also knows she is close to Audrey.

"What are you doing here?" Mal asked sharply.

"It's okay, everyone. I come here as your friend." Jane said, holding her hands up.

Mal scoffed and turned to the side, but also still looking at Jane.

"And how do I know you're my friend?" Mal asked.

Jane put her hands down and clasped them, while twiddling her thumbs, giving no response.

"Thought so. Get outta here. I have no interest in talking to you and I don't want to see you." Mal said, glaring at Jane.

Jane looked down sadly and was about to leave until Carlos stopped her.

"Wait. Let's just hear what Jane has to say. Please, Mal?" he said.

"Fine." Mal said stubbornly, with her arms folded.

Carlos let Jane enter the room and closed the door behind her. Jane walked up to Mal. Her face was saddened, while Mal was looking at Jane with her eyes narrowed.

"Mal, I know you hate me because of my close friendship with Audrey."

"You got that right."

"But I just want you to know, I don't hate you. You're my friend too."

I softly gasped as that was a very nice thing of Jane to say. And I could tell she meant it, as Mal did as well. Mal lowered her arms and relaxed her face.

"I am?" Mal asked.

"You are. I forgive you like Lonnie and Carlos. And I know I never spoke to you this week and always avoided you. Until one night recently, I thought about you and how you are a nice person. I don't think you were ever mean to me. But I was mean to you and I wasn't there to support you like Lonnie and Carlos were. And Evie too. But Mal, you're a great friend, and you always will be my friend."

Hearing all that made tears form in Mal's eyes.

"Jane...You mean all that?"

"I do, Mal."

Mal smiled and pulled Jane into a tight hug. Jane was surprised at first, but happily hugged her back.

"Thank you so much, Jane. I really appreciate you." Mal said.

"Of course, Mal." Jane said.

I smiled as the two hugged for a moment. After the hug, Jane sat at the edge of Mal's bed.

"I heard about last night after Evie left the tourney field. About Mal beating Audrey up." she said.

"She told you?" I asked.

"Yes. She came to my dorm room and told me Mal beat her up. But the only thing she said why was because you were forcing Evie to be with you and you wouldn't let her go and she came over to your dorm to put an end to it or something like that." Jane said.

Jane noticed Mal's worried expression.

"It's okay, Mal. I'm not going to tell on you. I'm not here for Audrey. She doesn't know I'm here. Nobody knows. Except you guys." Jane said.

"Well that is kind of true. Audrey did think I was forcing Evie to be with me, which I'm totally not. But that's just a tiny bit of what she said." Mal said.

"Will you tell me?" Jane asked.

Mal looked at Jane for a moment.

"I won't tell her. I promise. Like I said, she doesn't know I'm here." Jane said.

"It's okay. I trust you." Mal said.

Mal explained to Jane what happened last night and I told Jane a bit about me telling Audrey to leave and how she told me that Mal is dangerous and I should break up with her. And after all that, since Jane is a friend, an ally, I believe Jane should be told about me and Mal leaving Auradon.

"So if you're going to be in a "world of punishment", what will happen to you?" Jane asked Mal.

"Nothing." Mal replied. A little too quickly.

She looked at me, worriedly.

"Um, E?"

I softly smiled and sat next to Jane on the bed.

"It's okay, Mal. Jane's our friend. She deserves to know." I said.

"Know what?" Jane asked.

I held Jane's hands and looked at her.

"Jane. Mal and I are leaving Auradon Monday morning. Permanently." I said.

"What? Where are you going?" Jane asked.

"Canada."

"Canada? That's far away. Why?"

"Mal had a dream about me and her living in a home there. And while I never planned on it coming true this early, financially, I believe we are prepared to live there. I have it planned out. The only thing is to pack our things and leave at sunrise Monday."

Jane looked down sadly.

"No. This is all Audrey's fault. She's making you leave. Even though Audrey is one of my best friends, I believe Mal did the right thing. I think she deserved it. But it doesn't change the fact that it's still Audrey's fault." Jane said.

"Now, Jane. Don't do anything rash, please. However no one else can know where Mal and I are going. It has to stay a secret between Lonnie, Carlos, Mal, myself and you. Can we trust you with it?" I asked.

Jane nodded and smiled.

"Yes you can. I promise, I will keep this a secret for the rest of my life."

"I trust you. Mal and I trust you. Right, Mal?" I asked.

"Right." Mal said happily.

Mal and I then hugged Jane at the same time. A group hug which felt even nicer as Carlos and Lonnie joined in.

"Well, we better leave you two to your packing." Carlos said afterwards.

"Yes, you have much to do before hand." Lonnie said.

"Indeed." I said.

"May I ask, how will you two get to Canada?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, how?" Carlos asked.

"I got a boat." I said.

"You bought a boat?" Carlos asked.

"No. Not bought. We're…"

"Stealing?" Mal asked.

I smiled and pulled out a keyring that had a few keys attached to it from my jacket pocket.

"I guess so." I said.

"Where did you get those?" Lonnie asked.

"I believe they're spare keys. I found them in a storage compartment on this nice yacht. That'll be our ride to Canada." I said.

"But, Evie. I don't think the boat will have enough fuel to get to Canada. Even if it has a full tank. Depending it's fuel level." Jane said.

"True. But I think if we use some of Mal's magic on it, it'll get us there." I said.

"But, E. I haven't used magic since, well, since I was spelled. But I can't remember the last time I used it consciously." Mal said.

"Don't worry, baby. It'll be alright." I said.

"Well it seems you do have it all planned out." Carlos said.

"She is a good planner." Mal said.

I smiled and shrugged.

"Yes. But one thing I haven't planned on is having so much stuff and not a lot of stuff to put them in. I'll have to go to the city and get some big suitcases and a few boxes." I said.

"Oh let me get those for you." Carlos said.

"Oh, Carlos. You don't have to." I said.

"No, really. Let me. I want to help you both as much as I can." he said.

"Yeah, I'll help too! I'll go with you, Carlos." Lonnie said.

"I don't know what I can do. But I'm here for you. Whatever you need." Jane said.

"Thank you, guys." I said, smiling.

Lonnie and Carlos gave me and Mal a hug before Lonnie and Carlos left our room to the city. Jane gave Mal a comforting hug, reminding her once more that she is a friend to her. And lastly giving me a hug before leaving our dorm.

In what we have available right now, Mal and I packed nearly our clothes, leaving out only what we'll wear until Monday, including our nightdresses. I'll have to go to the laundry room and wash our dirty clothes. But then I called Jane and asked if she wouldn't mind doing that for us. She happily said yes and came back to our room and took our dirty clothes in our laundry basket down to the laundry room so we can keep on packing our stuff. Ten minutes later, Mal unexpectedly started to cry.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked, running over to her to pull her into a hug.

"Even after everything that's happened, I'll miss this place." she said.

"I know. I will too. But we'll never forget the good times we've had. Always remember those." I said.

"I will. I remember the first time we walked in here and you thought it was amazing, but I thought it was gross." Mal said.

I laughed.

"Yeah. "Amazingly gross" is what I said."

Mal started to laugh too.

"I don't think anyone says amazingly gross." she said.

"But I did." I said.

"Yeah you did. But remember fun times we've here even before we started dating?"

"Yes. The movies we watched. Pillow fights. Our times studying together. We were able to hang out and live together without our parents telling us otherwise. And then we fell in love." I said.

"Yes. We started out with some kisses on the lips. I loved how you'd kissed me goodnight and tucked me into bed. Then that night when you took your top off and showed half your body off to me and we started sleeping in the same bed together."

"We've had a lot of fun times in bed. Both sexual and not sexual."

"We sure have."

We kissed and I continued to hold Mal in my arms until there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's Carlos."

"And Lonnie."

"Come in. It's open." I said.

Lonnie and Carlos came in with a total of three large suitcases. Talking was heard down the hallway, and the two quickly got inside and quickly, but quietly closed the door behind them in time before we all stayed quiet as we heard footsteps and talking pass our door and fade away.

"That was way too close." Carlos said, sighing before.

"Indeed. But we got what you both need." Lonnie said.

Mal and I were amazed by what Lonnie and Carlos got for us.

"Oh my gosh, you guys. Did you really get that for us?" I asked.

"Of course!" Lonnie replied.

Lonnie and Carlos placed the three large suitcases on the floor and opened them to reveal a smaller suitcase nested inside with a smaller one nested inside that. I almost burst into tears. But so very grateful to them.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Mal said.

"Of course." Lonnie said.

"Anything for you both." Carlos said.

Lonnie and Carlos helped us pack our things. Jane later came back with our clothes she washed for us. And Carlos left to get a few boxes from the city. When he came back, Mal and I were nearly all packed. However, as Mal opened the bottom drawer to her dresser, we got quite a surprise when she yelped.

"What is it, baby?" I asked as Lonnie, Carlos and I ran over to her.

Mal took out a black rectangular cardboard out of the drawer and handed it to me.

"Look inside." Mal said quietly.

I took the lid off and gasped.

"Oh my god." I said.

"What is it?" Carlos asked.

"Money." I replied.

Indeed it was. Auradon money. And lots of it, too. I didn't count all of it at the moment, but later after I did, there was a total of one thousand two hundred dollars.

"Babe, where did you get this?" I asked Mal.

"I..I don't know. I swear I don't know. I don't remember taking that. I really don't." Mal said quickly.

"She must have taken it when she was spelled." Lonnie said.

Mal looked like she was about to cry. She was ashamed, I could tell.

"I'm so sorry, Evie." she whimpered.

I put the box on the bed and kneeled down to her. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and stroked her hair.

"It's okay, baby. There's no need to feel sorry." I said.

"But I stole it."

"It wasn't you, remember?"

No matter how many times I say that, it doesn't really help.

"Yeah, I know, Evie."

Mal was quite disappointed with herself, but I had an idea that might cheer her up.

"Mal?"

"Yes, E?"

"I got an idea."

"What's that?"

"One, how about you stop feeling upset with yourself because I have an excellent idea. There's a lot of money here, so two, how about we use this to help us with our new home?"

Mal immediately started smiling.

"Really, E?" she asked.

"Yes, Mal. Sound good?" I asked.

"It does." Mal replied.

After a nice little hug, there was a knock at the door. Once again, we were all on pins and needles. I got up and tiptoed to the door. And one last surprise was waiting for us at the door.

"Jay?" I asked.

"Hi, Evie. Is Mal here?" Jay asked.

"Um, yeah. She's-she's right here." I said, kind of pointing to her.

Lonnie and Mal was most surprised. However, you could say Lonnie was surprised, and Mal was nervous. Mal slowly hid behind Lonnie as Jay slowly walked up to them.

"It's okay, Mal. I won't hurt you. Or yell at you." Jay said.

"Then why are you here?" Mal asked.

"I want to apologize to you. For every mean thing I've said to you, and pushing you out of my life." Jay said.

This day certainly has had its share of surprises.


	40. Goodbye Auradon

_Goodbye Auradon_

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 11:47 am_]

Mal's POV

"What do you mean you want to apologize to me? You had no hesitation pushing me away." I said, crossing my arms.

"I know. And I'm very sorry." Jay said.

"Jay, do you really mean that?" Lonnie asked.

"I do. And I'm really sorry, Mal. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I need to hear more. It's going to take a lot more than that for me to forgive you. Based on everything you've done and said to me, I don't know if you even deserve to be forgiven." I said.

Jay looked down. He knows what he did was wrong. Not standing by me. Telling me I'm not his sister anymore. It really hurt me. It really did.

"We're supposed to be family. And you don't leave anyone behind. I was spelled. You knew that. And yet, you still continued to push me away. Not wanting anything to do with me. So why the sudden change of heart?" I asked.

Jay looked back up at me. I could see the regret in his eyes, but still, it meant nothing to me. I arched a brow at him with my arms still crossed, waiting to hear a response. After hearing nothing. I scoffed and walked to the door.

"You need to leave. Now." I said.

I turned the door handle and opened the door. Jay walked over to the door as I signaled him to walk out. But he then stopped at the door way.

"What?" I asked.

Jay turned around to try and reach for my hands, but I backed away to Evie. Jay walked back into the room and closed the door.

"I can't leave, Mal. Not without telling you how sorry I am." he said.

"You already said you were sorry. Now go." I said.

"I can't leave without us being okay."

I scoffed again and faked a smile, almost started laughing in disbelief.

"Okay? Us being okay?! Are you kidding me right now?!" I almost yelled.

"Mal, calm down." Evie said, while rubbing my shoulders.

"I will. Once he leaves. You and I still have much to do. And I can't let him be a distraction." I said.

"What do you mean "you have much to do"? Mal, what's going on?" Jay asked.

"I don't recall it being any of your business, Jay. Now, do I need to repeat myself again?" I asked.

"No, Mal. I'll leave." Jay replied.

I glared at him as he looked at me sadly before leaving the room.

"The hell is up with him?" I asked.

"Nevermind that, Mal. As you said, we still have much to do." Evie said.

"Right." I said.

I tried to put what just happened behind me and tried to focus on packing. But the others saw how hard it was for me to concentrate. I was feeling a lot of anger, and when a tiny little thing goes wrong like something falls out of my hand, or something doesn't fit right in a suitcase, I exclaim in anger. I later felt bad, because at the time, Lonnie and Carlos felt a little uncomfortable.

"We're going to go. Call us if you need anything." Carlos said.

"Okay. Thank you both." Evie said.

Carlos left first. But Lonnie walked over to Evie.

"Evie, can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Lonnie whispered to Evie, but I was able to hear it.

"Of course." Evie whispered back.

Evie walked over to me and kissed me on my cheek.

"I'll be right back, baby." she said.

I didn't respond. I was facing away from the door and I heard them leave, but thought nothing else about it. Nearly everything of mine was packed. I opened the drawer in the nightstand by my bed and saw my sketchbook. I grabbed it and flipped through the pages until I reached the first drawing of my dream house. Besides Evie, this is the only other thing keeping me going. My dream.

My ultimate goal is to live in a nice house with Evie. I'm sure there will be other things I'll want to do with Evie. Other life things. But for now, this is all that matters. After looking at all the sketches of the house, Evie came back into the room and sat on the bed next to me. I closed my book and looked at her.

"You okay?" Evie asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. What was that about?" I asked.

"Lonnie just wanted to talk to me about something." Evie replied.

"About?"

"Oh, nothing important. But there is something important even I hadn't thought of until now."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Identification." Evie replied.

"What?"

"We'll need something to prove we're citizens of Canada." Evie said.

"But we're not."

"Not yet."

Evie walked over to where our school bags were and took something out from both of them. She then returned back to me and placed our school ids in front of me.

"Evie, this isn't going to prove anything." I said.

"No, but with your magic, I know it can."

"How?"

"First off, we don't need anyone to know we're from Auradon. We need a clean fresh start."

"So you're thinking of us using fake names?" I asked.

"Not entirely. We can keep our first names, just not our last names." Evie replied.

"Okay, I get what you're saying, but what should we use?" I asked.

Evie thought for a moment, but it didn't take long for her to think of fake last names for us. Names that are fake, but yet they're not.

"Mal Cameron and Evie Carson."

I laughed a little.

"Okay..? Where did you come up with that?" I asked.

Evie smiled and shrugged.

"Just off the top of my head. Why? Thinking of something better?" Evie asked.

I nodded.

"Nope. That works for me." I said.

"Then that's what it'll be. Now, I saved a picture of what a sample of Canada's ids looks like from a motor vehicle website." Evie said.

Evie grabbed her phone and showed me the picture.

"Can you turn our school ids into a real, legitimate, Canadian driver's license?" Evie asked.

I sighed. Wow. Now that is what some may call a tall order.

"I don't know if I can, E. That's never been done before. Has it?" I asked, scratching my head.

"I don't think so. But, M. If anyone can, it's you. I know it's a lot, but it's the biggest thing that'll make us fit right in. Things will be easier for us if we have a real id." Evie said.

"But it's not."

"It'll be to them. Please, M? This is for us, remember?"

I sighed once again.

"Okay, E. Give me a moment." I said.

Evie kissed me on the cheek and put her arms around me while resting her head on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and thought of a rhyme to use for the spell. I was nervous, since this is the first time using magic after I was spelled, but as Evie said, it was for us. And that is what I kept in mind.

"Though this may seem drastic, make ourselves and our falseness real and permanent on these pieces of plastic." I said.

After I used my hands to send a green wave of sparkly light at the ids, they instantly became real, legitimate, British Columbia id cards with both of our names, real and fake, picture, and other info about us on the cards.

"Oh my gosh! Mal, you did it! You did it! I'm so proud of you!" Evie squealed.

She gave me many kisses on the face, including some on the lips.

"I love you, baby. I love you so much." Evie said.

"I love you too, sweetness." I said.

After a nice french kiss, Evie grabbed her money she made as well as the money that I somehow stole and placed it all in front of me.

"Now, can you turn our Auradon money into Canadian cash?" she asked.

"I think so." I replied.

I closed my eyes and reopened them, ready to say my next spell.

"Turn this stash into legitimate cash." I said.

And on command, my magic turned our Auradon currency into Canada currency. Evie squealed in delight again and hugged me so tight, I didn't know she was so strong.

"Oh, baby. You are my little angel. You know that?" Evie asked.

"I do now." I replied.

After another kiss, Evie started to count the money. It took a couple of minutes, but we were most surprised by how much we had.

"Nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty eight dollars." Evie said.

I almost fell off the bed after hearing that.

"Almost ten thousand dollars?! How?!" I asked.

"I have no idea, I guess Auradon money is worth a lot more in Canada. That can be my only explanation." Evie said.

"Wow. Then we should take some more money before we leave." I said.

"Mal…"

"I'm kidding! But seriously, wow." I said.

Evie placed the cash in her red box and gave it to me.

"I'm trusting this to you. I know you'll keep it safe." she said.

"Yes, Evie. I will." I said.

It was just us two for the remainder of the day, after I was pretty much all packed, I helped Evie pack her stuff. She had a whole lot more stuff than me. Most of it was sewing materials due to her having her business. While Evie's kind of sad to put it on hold, her happiness about leaving for Canada outweighs it and she knows stopping her business isn't a forever thing.

Around six at night, we decided to stop for the day and got hungry for dinner. After realizing that I had turned all our money into foriegn currency, Evie had me reverse the spell on a little bit of it. Just enough to get us through until we leave. We had a nice simple dinner and returned back to our dorm. All the times of us leaving for meal times, we were very careful getting to and from our room. And we believe no one from the school seen us.

[_Mal and Evie's dorm room. 10:21 am_]

Mal's POV

It is now Sunday. Our final day in Auradon. Our final day in our dorm room. And Evie and I are just about ready to leave. After eating breakfast, we returned back to the dorm and cuddled for awhile in Evie's bed. Soon after, we heard a knock at the door. Evie got the door and saw it was Carlos and Lonnie. She let them in but they weren't the only ones at the door. Jay was there too.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, immediately getting off the bed.

"Mal, let him speak." Evie said.

I so wanted to tell him off, but decided not to.

"Fine. I guess it won't hurt to just listen." I said.

After everyone was in the room, Evie closed the door and Jay walked up to me.

"Mal, I mean it when I say I'm really sorry." he said.

"Go on." I said.

"Remember when you asked me why the change of heart and I couldn't answer?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, the reason was...it's because...I guess you could say that I was...traumatized by you." Jay said.

I tilted my head in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I know you don't remember, but when you almost made Evie fall to her death at the bridge, it really got me. I felt something I had never felt before. I don't know how to describe it. But it really made me upset at you. And when I saw you cut Evie with your sword, it only made the feeling stronger." Jay explained.

I sighed.

"It was traumatizing for all of us, no doubt. But I can see how much it would be in your point of view. But why didn't you ever tell me? You could've talked to me, instead of making me believe that you hated me." I said.

"But I did hate you." Jay said.

"I know, but still…"

"I know. And I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for being a jerk to you. Mal."

"Well, you were a little more than a jerk to me. You were, well...a..."

"Ass!" Carlos blurted.

"Thank you, Carlos." I said, rolling my eyes after.

Jay softly smiled as did Evie and Lonnie.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…"

I paused for a moment. Should I forgive him? I mean, if that's how he really felt, then why didn't he tell me? One things for sure, what happened with me has definitely left an impact on all of us. And if I choose not to forgive him, who knows how long Evie and I will be gone for? We may never come back. And I guess I shouldn't leave things like this.

"Okay. I'll forgive you."

Jay's face lit up when I said that.

"You will? Oh thank you, Mal!" he exclaimed.

He went to hug me, but I pushed him back.

"Not so fast, man. You make me a couple promises first." I said.

"Anything." Jay said.

"Always talk to me. No matter what. You keep in touch. It doesn't have to be frequently, but more than occasionally. Got it?" I asked.

"Yes, Mal. I promise." Jay said.

"And we're family. We'll always have each other. Got it?" I asked.

"Yes, Mal. We're family and we'll always have each other. I promise." Jay said.

"Okay. Now come here." I said with my arms out.

Jay walked up to me and we both started to hug each other.

"I love you, Mal. You're my sister. And I'm proud to have you as one." Jay said.

"Thank you, Jay. It means a lot to hear you say that." I said.

"I mean it." Jay said.

"So are we all good now? Are we a family again?" Carlos asked.

"We sure are." I replied.

"Excellent. Now, Lonnie, does Jay know?" Evie asked.

"No he doesn't." Lonnie replied.

Jay let go of me and looked at Evie and Lonnie.

"What? What don't I know?" he asked.

Okay. But he'll be the last one we'll have to tell this too. Evie and I told Jay about what happened Friday night with Audrey and how I'll be in a "world of punishment" on Monday morning. And we also told him about Evie and I packing to leave for Canada early Monday morning. So to make a long story short, he's all caught up.

"No. After we just made things right? You have to leave tomorrow morning? Now I really feel bad." Jay said.

"It's not your fault, Jay. It can't be helped. This is what it has to be now." Evie said.

"I guess that's what you mean when you said to keep in touch." Jay said to me.

"That's one meaning." I said.

"Don't be too sad. On the bright side, we're a family again. So therefore, let's spend our last day together in happiness. Carlos, have Jane come over right now. Everyone, we're going to make the best of our last day together." Evie said.

We all happily agreed. Jane was free, so she came right over. And the six of us spent the next hour helping Evie pack the rest of her things. Then her and I were all packed and ready for the morning. The only thing we're leaving behind of ours is the blue and purple bed sheets on the bed. For the rest of the afternoon and towards the evening hours, we talked and played games together. Lonnie played music off her phone and we danced and sang quite a bit. Time went by fast, but we savored every moment.

It was beginning to get dark out. And Jane suggested she should return back to her dorm. But Evie had a great idea.

"How about you guys go back to your dorms and return back with pillows and blankets. We'll have a sleepover!"

"Really, Evie?" Jane asked.

"Yeah! It's our last night together. So let's make it the best we can." Evie said.

The others happily agreed. And quickly ran back to their dorms and soon returned with blankets and pillows. By the time they got back, Evie and I arranged the furniture around to give us a nice big empty space in the middle of the room for all of us to sleep in. Evie and I changed into our nightdresses and when the others returned, they were also in their sleep wear.

We laid some blankets on the floor and laid close to each other. Jay and Carlos sat by me, while Lonnie and Jane sat by Evie. After watching a movie together, Lonnie and Jane left and later return with some food from the city. Our last meal in Auradon was chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes. And it was very delicious. The two girls also got us some food for our trip to Canada.

After dinner, while watching another movie, I noticed Evie and Carlos sitting on her bed with her laptop. I got up and walked over to them to check what was going on.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Carlos is helping me set up the webcam in my laptop so you and I can chat with them while we're gone." Evie replied.

"Oh really?" I asked.

"Yep. Even across the world, we'll still be able to keep in touch." Carlos said.

"Oh that's nice." I said.

After getting things set up, Evie packed her laptop away and the three of us watched the rest of the movie. After watching two movies, we were getting tired. As we were setting up our sleeping area, Carlos pulled Evie into a tight hug.

"I'll miss you, Evie. I don't know what I'll do without you or Mal." he said.

Evie kissed him on the head and brushed his hair.

"Sweetie, we'll always be together because we're all in each other's hearts. Besides, you're a big boy, I know you'll be alright. You all will be alright." Evie said.

I joined in on the hug and Jay, Lonnie and Jane joined us and formed a nice family hug. We fell asleep together, laying closely to one another, and sleeping peacefully. I don't think our last night together could've been any better than that. Or at least we made it the best we could in the time we had.

[_Belle's Harbor. 5:42 am_]

Mal's POV

Well, here we are. It's time to leave. Time to leave Auradon. Evie and I woke up and got dressed before waking up the others. As the sun was starting to come up, Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane helped Evie and I with our suitcases to the harbor. Evie led the way to the yacht. And once we got there, we were all amazed by it.

"Wow, Evie. How did you manage to get this?" I asked.

Evie smiled and shrugged.

"I had a little help." she said with a wink.

Evie didn't tell me about the porpoise until later on, but at the time I wasn't going to question her any further. Evie boarded the boat first and unlocked a door leading to the cabin. Then she told us to go ahead and bring the suitcases on board. We all carried one onto the boat and into the cabin. And once again, we are amazed.

"Oh I wish I can go with you guys." Jane said.

"Me too. This looks really nice." Carlos said.

"And I wish I can take you all with us. But you four belong here. Auradon is your home." Evie said.

"Well, no matter what, you'll always have a home with us." Lonnie said.

Evie smiled and hugged Lonnie.

"Thank you." Evie whispered.

Evie and I took one final good look at Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane. We gave each of them a long hug and a little kiss.

"Don't forget to webchat with us sometime." Carlos said.

"We won't." Evie said.

"And I won't forget to talk to you not frequently, but more than occasionally, Mal." Jay said.

"Well, it doesn't have to be all the time, but once or twice a week is fine." I said.

"I'll miss you both. You both are the best sisters we've ever had." Carlos said.

"The only sisters we've ever had?" Jay asked.

"Right." Carlos replied.

"Thank you. And you both are the best brothers we've ever had." Evie said.

"The only brothers we've ever had?" I asked.

"Oh my gosh." Evie laughed.

We all had a nice little laugh to that. Then Jane looked out the window and then at a watch on her arm.

"Guys, we should get going. We need to get back to the dorm to get our stuff and back to our dorms without anyone noticing us." Jane said.

"You're right. We should go." Lonnie said.

"I wish you both the best." Jay said.

"Me too." said Jane.

"And me as well. Good luck out there." Lonnie said.

"I'm sure you'll find your dream home." Carlos said.

"With the info you gave me and all the help you've done, I know we will. Thank you again for helping me in the last few months." I said.

"You're welcome, Mal. It was my pleasure. But I'll certainly miss you." Carlos said.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again. It may be a long time, but definitely not forever." I said.

"Before you guys leave, I want to take a picture of all of us." Evie said.

"Good idea!" said Jane.

We all cuddled together for a group selfie. Evie's that one person who can get the right angle for a picture. We took a couple selfies. But then Evie suggested we take a picture of all of us together that's not a selfie. When Jane asked how, Evie showed us by placing her phone upright on the kitchenette counter up against the wall facing us. The phone was on selfie mode and Evie set a timer for it to go off. I smiled as I know Evie can be quite creative. We gathered together with Jay and Carlos to the right of us, and Lonnie and Jane to the left of us. We smiled and the phone snapped the photo. Evie looked it over and was pleased.

"That turned out really nice. I'll send them to you all." Evie said.

"Great." Carlos said.

"We should get going now." Jane said.

"Alright. One more hug." I said.

We all hugged one last time and led them out of the boat. We waved goodbye to them as they waved goodbye to us. It was hard as we were all starting to cry a little. But we knew that one day, we'll see each other again. After they were at the pier, Evie and I walked to the boat's controls and looked at them.

"Well, shall we go? One last spell?" Evie asked.

"We shall." I replied.

I closed my eyes for a moment and reopened them.

"Noble steed proud and fair, you shall take us anywhere. But not just anywhere. With Evie alongside, Vancouver, Canada is where we shall reside."

Just then, we heard a noise and felt the boat quickly judder. Then Evie and I smiled at each other as the boat started moving. And it felt amazing. We walked out and onto the deck and waved at Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane as this was the last time we'll see them for awhile. But the last time we'll see them in person for a long time. We continued to wave at each other until we were too far out of view.

"Goodbye my family. I'll miss you." I said quietly.

Evie walked closer to me and put her arms around me.

"We're on our way, Mal." she said.

"We sure are." I said.

Canada, here we come.


	41. After Their Departure

_After Their Departure_

[_Auradon Prep. 8:14 am_]

Carlos' POV

I'm glad Mal and Evie left when they did. Because at eight o'clock sharp, Ben and a couple of royal guards showed up at their door. Evie's speculation was correct. After we returned from the harbor, we grabbed our blankets and pillows and returned back to our own dorms and got dressed for the school day. With all that has happened, we almost forgot.

As Jay and I were putting on our shoes, a knock was heard at the door. I got my shoes on first and walked to the door. Only to see Ben and his guards at the other side. We made a promise not to say anything, so we're going to play it like we don't know anything.

"Ben?"

"Good morning, Carlos. Jay. I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm afraid I have some disturbing news. May I come in?" Ben asked.

"Of course."

I let them in and Jay stood next to me as Ben and his guards were standing in front of us. Ben was hesitant to say it, as he was stuttering a bit.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's about Mal and Evie. They're gone." Ben finally said.

"What?" Jay asked.

"What do you mean "gone"?" I asked.

"They're not dead, are they?" Jay asked.

"No. I hope not. I'm pretty sure they're not. No, by "gone" I mean they've left their dorm room." Ben said.

"Well that's normal. Evie always goes out for breakfast. I guess Mal decided to go with her." I said.

"No! You don't understand! Mal and Evie are gone because their stuff is gone as well. It's like they moved out of the dorm." Ben said.

We're playing this good so far.

"What are you talking about?" Jay asked.

"That doesn't make sense. Why would they just pick up and leave? They don't have anywhere else to go. Except the Isle, but they can't really get there." I said.

"I'm sure they can by Mal using her magic." a female voice said.

Jay and I turned to the doorway, which we left open, and saw Audrey standing there. She tried her best to hide her injuries with her makeup, but a few bruises were still a little visible, especially on her arms.

"Audrey? Is that some kind of new makeup?" I asked.

Audrey scoffed and walked up to me and Jay.

"Don't play dumb with me, boys. I'm not in the mood." she said.

"What happened to you?" Jay asked.

"You don't know? Mal beat me up!" Audrey replied.

"What? Why?" I asked.

Audrey exclaimed in anger.

"Audrey, go get yourself something to eat. I'll meet you in my office in a little bit." Ben said.

"Fine!" said Audrey, before swiftly leaving the room and closing the door hard behind her.

"What's up with her?" Jay asked.

"I guess you two really don't know. They haven't told you?" Ben asked.

"Told us what?" I asked.

Wow, we're playing this good. If we were able to fool Audrey, then we know we got this in the bag. But we'll still be cautious. Just in case.

"Friday night, Audrey came to Mal and Evie's dorm room to offer Mal a truce between them. Audrey was willing to forgive Mal for what she had done. You know, being under a spell and everything. But for some reason, Mal started to beat up Audrey. She threw Audrey around and hit her in the face with her fists and objects." Ben explained.

"No." I said.

"Yes. And I'm sorry to say, since Audrey is official royalty, any attacks on a royal member will be prosecuted to the highest extent of the law."

"But that was only for villains!" Jay said.

"And Mal is not a bad person. She would never attack without a reason. She must have been provoked. That could be the only reason." I said.

"I'm sorry. I would like to hear Mal's side of the story, but since she isn't here, I only have one side to rely on." Ben said.

We know what Audrey has told Ben is complete nonsense. And even if we were to say anything, they wouldn't believe us.

"So what's with your guards?" Jay asked.

"I was going to bring Mal in for questioning. But it seems they are not here. I must ask. Do you know where they could be?"

That put a chill down my spine. But Mal and Evie are family, and we don't sell them out. We weren't family on the Isle, not exactly friends either, but we never sold one another out then, and we won't now.

"No. I'm afraid I don't." Carlos said.

"Me neither." Jay said.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"This doesn't make sense. Why would they leave and not tell you two?" Ben asked.

"I don't know." I said.

This gave me an idea. Ben will keep asking us if we know where they are or where they could be, so why not lead them on a goose chase all around Auradon? They will keep looking for Mal and Evie, but they will never find them.

"We don't know where they could be, but I have some ideas where you might try looking." I said.

"Okay. Good. You can tell me all the places where they might be in my office. Let's go." Ben said.

We followed Ben and his guards to his office. Audrey was already there. It seems easy to fool Ben, but we must make sure we fool Audrey like before. But I'm not too worried. However, Audrey wasn't the only one there, Lonnie was there as well. I was wondering where Jane was, but then I remembered that no one else knows that she and Mal made up and became friends again.

"Lonnie? What are you doing here?" Jay asked before giving her a small kiss on the lips.

"I brought her in to see if she would know anything about Mal and Evie's whereabouts. Because, since Mal is her bff, she must know. But _no_." Audrey said.

"I'm telling the truth. I have no idea where they are." Lonnie said.

"We'll see about that." Audrey said.

Six royal guards walked into the room and up to Ben.

"Sir?" One of them said.

"Thank you for getting here quickly. I want an APB out on Mal. Inform the other kingdoms about her and tell them to be cautious." Ben said.

"Whoa, hold up! Isn't that a little extreme?" I asked.

"After what Mal did to me, she deserves it." Audrey said.

"What did she do to you?" I asked.

"_Hello?_ She beat me up, Carlos!" Audrey exclaimed.

Why does she talk so loud?

"Yes, sir!" said the same guard.

The guards then left the room.

"Why do you have to go to this level? Okay, so Mal beat Audrey up. Can't you just find her and talk to her?" I asked.

"Do you know where she is?" Ben asked.

"I don't." I replied.

"Neither do we. Therefore, I have to do this. I know you don't understand this kind of stuff, but what Mal did is a felony. And now, the law has to become involved. But assaulting Audrey-"

"That's what you're calling it?"

"Assaulting Audrey isn't the only thing Mal's done."

"Really? What else did she do?" Jay asked.

"Shoplifting, vandalism, aggravated assault and arson." Ben said.

"Sounds like you're charging her for crimes she did when she was spelled." Lonnie said.

"Didn't you let her go from that?" Jay asked.

"No. Not entirely." Ben replied.

"And let's not forget the last charge." Audrey said.

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"Kidnapping."

"Kidnapping?!" Jay, Lonnie and I said at the same time.

"Yes. We believe that Mal may have forced Evie to leave with her." Ben said.

"Or do you mean Audrey believes that?" I asked.

"I know Evie. And I know that she has wanted to break up with Mal since she freed her from that so called "spell". She couldn't because Mal is somehow forcing Evie to be with her." Audrey said.

"And how do you know that?" Lonnie asked.

"I know because Evie would never want to leave Auradon. The only way she would leave is if she was forced to leave." Audrey said.

"So you think Mal is dragging Evie with all of their belongings somewhere around Auradon?" I asked.

"I do." Audrey simply stated.

I scoffed. I can't believe everything that was just said.

"I have an APB out for Mal. And there's also a warrant for her arrest. When Mal is found, she will be arrested, and will be put on trial." Ben said.

"And I can't wait for that day to arrive." Audrey said.

"You three can leave now. I'll call you up if I have anymore questions." Ben said to us.

Two guards opened the door for us to leave. Jay and Lonnie left first, but Audrey stopped me for a moment.

"I know there's something you're not telling us. But continue to keep it to yourself. I don't care. Just know, when Mal is found, she will be prosecuted much more than her mother was. And maybe she'll end up just like her. Or worse." Audrey said.

"You're a mean person, Audrey." I said.

"You'd feel this way too if Mal beat you up."

"I doubt it. Mal would never hurt me, because I'm not like you. I don't tell lies and push people to their limits. You'll never have a prince if you continue to be like that." I said.

That last sentence made Audrey speechless. I pushed her aside and left Ben's office and met the others in the hallway.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked.

"I'm good." I replied with a smile.

The three of us left the administration building and walked to the courtyard.

"So, a warrant is out for Mal." Jay said.

"It's a good thing they left this morning." Lonnie said.

"Indeed. I can imagine Mal being dragged off by the guards. And it's not a pretty thought." I said.

Jane walked up to us, and her and I gave each other a hug.

"I saw you and Jay walking with Ben and his guards. How did it go?" she asked.

"Okay. There is an APB and a warrant out on Mal." I replied.

"Oh no. If they hadn't left when they did, Mal could be locked up right now." Jane said.

"Yeah." I said.

"Should we tell them?" Jane asked.

"We probably shouldn't." Jay said.

"We don't want to stress Mal out." Lonnie said.

"Oh, okay." Jane said.

"At least not this soon. But one thing for sure, we should get going to class. Evie would want us to. And I think Mal would too." I said.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Jay said.

"Alright, let's go have a great day." Lonnie said

"And have many more after today." Jane said.

"Yes. Let's go!" I said.

We laughed and ran to our lockers. Mal and Evie, wherever you two are right now, we wish you the best and we'll talk to you soon.


	42. Welcome To Canada

_Welcome To Canada_

[_Vancouver, Canada. 3:05 pm_]

Mal's POV

It took two days on the water to arrive to Canada. However, it was the most relaxing two days I've had in a long time. Evie and I had a good time on the boat. Especially making love in a few places on the boat. But just being with her felt so nice. We arrived in the afternoon, and I was sleeping in the bedroom in the cabin when Evie walked in and woke me up.

"Mal, wake up, baby." Evie said.

"What? What is it, Evie?" I asked sleepily.

"We're here. We're in Canada." Evie replied.

I sat up in the bed and looked out the window on the boat and saw the massive city buildings surrounded by water. It looked like Vancouver based on the pictures Carlos once showed me.

"Come on outside. But keep your blanket wrapped around you. It's a little cold out." Evie said.

Evie left and went upstairs onto the deck. I got up and felt the window with my hand and it did feel a little cold. Evie was already dressed, but I was only wearing my nightdress, so I wrapped the blanket around myself good. I headed up into the deck and stood next to Evie on the bow. About a hundred feet away from the portside, we saw a group of large black and white whales splashing out of the water. Killer whales, I think that's what they were.

"Wow, this is amazing. More amazing in person." I said.

"It truly is." Evie said.

She grabbed my hands and held them.

"How are you feeling? Did you sleep okay?" Evie asked.

"I'm fine, Evie. Actually, great. I slept great. So therefore I'm great. I feel really, really happy."

"Great! That makes me happy!" Evie said.

We smiled and looked at each other in the eyes. Then Evie pulled me in close and we had our first kiss in Canada. And it felt amazing.

"Evie?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to have sex with you."

Evie softly laughed.

"Later. We need to do a few things first. Go get dressed, baby. I'll find us someplace where we can dock." Evie said.

"Okay." I said.

I went back down below and got dressed. Evie drove the boat to a dock and turned off the engine.

"Do you have what you need?" she asked as I approached her.

"Do we need to bring everything?" I asked.

"No. We'll leave our stuff here. I got the keys to the doors so I'll lock up before we leave. We need to do a couple things before we get all our stuff." Evie said.

"Okay, then yeah, I'm ready." I said.

Evie grabbed her purse and locked the doors to the boat. As Evie and I jumped off the boat and onto the pier, a man approached us.

"Hey, you can't dock your boat here." he said.

"Who are you?" Evie asked.

"I'm in charge of this marina."

Evie reached into her pocket and pulled out some of my magical Canadian dollars.

"How much to rent this spot for a couple days?" she asked.

"Well…"

The man could tell we were rich. Well, sort of rich. Rich enough.

"How long is your boat?" the man asked.

"Forty feet." Evie replied.

"Okay. One hundred fifty for two days. Two days only. Because later this week, this spot is reserved for someone else."

"Deal." Evie said.

She counted the cash and gave it to the man.

"Pleasure doing business with you, ma'am." he said.

"Likewise." Evie said.

The man happily took off, a hundred fifty dollars richer.

"You're amazing, Evie." I said.

"I know. So are you." Evie said.

We walked to the parking lot of the marina. As I was watching a pickup truck backing a boat on a trailer attached to the truck into the water, Evie was on her phone looking at a map of the city. I noticed the driver of the truck was a little too close to one side of the boat ramp and then a metal bang was heard. The boat trailer had hit a metal guardrail. The driver got out of the truck and walked to the back of the trailer.

"Aww, damn it!" he exclaimed.

I smiled and looked at Evie.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm trying to find a car rental place." she replied.

"Car rental place?" I asked.

"Do you really want to walk all around here? This city is massive compared to Auradon."

"Oh, yeah. Good idea." I said.

Luckily a car rental place wasn't too far away. We had to walk for half an hour, but we got there fine. We walked in and I was impressed by the nice front.

"Hello. Welcome in. How can I help?" asked a woman receptionist.

"Yes, we'd like to rent a car, please." Evie said.

"Sure. Economy, standard, SUV or luxury?"

"Economy." Evie said.

"E?" I asked, kind of wanting something more.

"We need to start out small for now, okay?" she said.

I nodded. Evie has this planned, and like her many plans before this, I'll happily go along with it. In thirty minutes we got our car and Evie offered to drive us. The car was pretty nice. It was silver with a nice black interior finish. And it smelled new. I looked at the odometer and saw it only had a little over a thousand miles. Evie drove us down some streets of downtown Vancouver and we were most astonished. And we thought Auradon was nice. No. This city was amazing beyond belief.

"So what's next?" I asked.

"We need to find a place to spend some nights in. I'm looking for the most affordable hotel." Evie said.

She then pulled her phone out of her pocket and handed it to me.

"Here. Pull up the map and search for hotels. I don't want to spend a lot of gas trying to find one. Should of done that from the beginning." she said.

"Yes, Evie." I said as I took the phone.

I opened the maps app and searched "hotels". There were a lot of nice ones. But prices a night were high. Most in the two hundred and three hundred dollar range. I then saw a hotel that was only seventy five dollars a night. I selected it and it was a nice looking one too. Not very cheap looking and had a nice front. I read more about it and liked it.

"E, I found one. Seventy five dollars a night." I said.

"Okay. That's not bad. Show me." Evie said.

I showed her a picture of the front of the hotel.

"Okay. Looks nice. Navigate me to it." she said.

"Okay." I said.

I pressed the direction button and a route was shown to me.

"It's six miles away. Make a left in two miles." I said.

Two miles later, Evie made the left turn and we got onto a highway. Evie speeded the car up to merge in with the traffic, but she didn't slow down. She passed one car after another until a siren was heard behind us. I looked in the side mirror and saw a police car behind us. I happened to notice a speed limit sign and it said the maximum speed is a hundred four kilometers per hour or sixty five miles per hour. And I looked at the car's speedometer and saw Evie was going hundred twenty two kilometers or seventy six miles per hour.

"Oh no!" Evie exclaimed as she saw the police car behind us with its lights flashing.

"You're speeding, Evie." I said.

"Damn it!"

Evie slowed down and pulled to the side of the road, with the police car following. And I started to feel very nervous.

"Evie? I'm not going to lie, but I'm scared right now." I said.

Evie rubbed my left thigh.

"It's okay, baby. Stay calm. You're going to be okay." she said.

Evie looked in the rear view mirror and smirked as she saw the officer getting out of his car.

"Stay quiet, baby. I got this." she said.

I nodded.

"I trust you, E." I said.

Evie rolled down the window as the officer approached her. The officer was a man who looked to be no older than mid thirties.

"How do, officer? My name's-"

"I don't care if your name's Broderick Crawford. Don't you kids know you can't speed on the highway?" asked the officer.

"I deeply apologize for that, sir. I truly did not realize what I was doing." Evie said.

As Evie was talking, the officer and I noticed Evie slowly pulling down the zipper on her jacket. And I could tell the officer was starting to become mesmerized by Evie.

"Yes, well. I'm afraid the law is the law. And I'll have to give you a ticket for going over the speed limit." he said.

"Oh, please don't, officer. Can't you just let me off with a warning?" Evie asked.

Her jacket was now fully unzipped and Evie parted both sides of the jacket away from her. She was wearing a blue tank top and her black bra straps were seen untucked from the straps of the tank top. But that wasn't the focal point. Her tank top was a low cut one, so her cleavage was easily seen.

"Please, officer? My friend and I just arrived here earlier and we're unfamiliar with how things work around here. But we'll learn." Evie said.

She turned herself towards the door and rested her arms on the door, exposing herself a little more. Not only was I getting turned on by this, cause I was able to see a little bit on her side mirror, but the officer was too. Evie hasn't flirted with a guy in two years, and she's still got her touch. Evie flashed the officer an innocent smile and the officer had a hard time concentrating.

"Please, officer?" Evie asked in a sweet tone.

"Alright. Just don't let it happen again." he said.

"Yes, sir. Thank you." Evie said.

"Have a nice day, ladies." he said.

"You too." Evie said.

Evie smiled and waved at the officer as he returned back to his car. After he drove away, I sighed in relief and felt much better. Evie started to zip up her jacket, but I stopped her.

"Wow, Evie. Even after all this time, you still got your charm." I said.

"Indeed. Even across the world, I'm attractive." Evie said.

"You sure are. Not only did you get that cop turned on, but you got me turned on as well." I said as I started touching Evie.

Evie welcomed the touching and allowed me to continue.

"Are you wearing that top for me?" I asked.

Evie shrugged.

"Maybe." she said.

As I pulled Evie into a kiss, I put my right hand down her bra and started feeling her skin. After the kiss, Evie looked at me with a brow raised.

"Come on, E. You like this. I know I like this, and I'm starting to get a little wet." I said.

Evie removed my hand from her and gently push me back to my seat.

"Easy, girl. We need to get a hotel room first. Besides, I'm starting to get turned on myself." she said.

"I knew it." I said with a smile.

"Let's go." Evie said.

She zipped her jacket up and shifted the car into drive and we were on our way again. Ten minutes later we arrived at the hotel with no further delay. The hotel was nice. And it had nice amenities too. Free parking, wifi and breakfast. And it was pet friendly too if we had one. It looked even nicer than the pictures due to them recently finished renovating the place. Evie got us a room for five nights totaling just under four hundred fifty dollars. I was worried that took a bite out of our money, but then I remembered that we brought the extra load of money that I found in my dresser, so we're okay. Another thing is that our fake ids, worked both times. For the car and the hotel.

Our room was on the second floor of the building. After getting off the elevator, we took a short walk down the hallway to our room. After getting in, we both gasped.

"Oh my god." Evie said.

"This is awesome." I said.

The room was divided into three parts. After you walk in, you're in a living room style room. A three seat sofa with two end tables one on each side and a coffee table in front. On the wall ahead of it was a flat screen tv. On the opposite side of the sofa was a small desk with a chair. Then you look straight ahead and there is this tiny hallway. On the left side was the bathroom that has a shower tub. And on the right side was a kitchenette. Stainless steel sink, mini fridge and microwave. It included two door cabinets underneath the sink and a big mirror on the wall. And Evie loved the mirror.

A coffee maker and a hairdryer was on the countertop along with an ice bucket, cups, soap bars, wash clothes, and coffee packets and stirring straws. Then when you get past that is the bedroom. One queen size bed with a tan colored sheet and blanket. Bigger than any bed we've ever slept on. A large flatscreen tv on the wall with a closet and a dresser below the tv.

"We are so going to love it here." Evie said.

"I know so." I said.

I grabbed Evie's jacket zipper and unzipped her jacket.

"Now can we?" I asked.

Evie smiled.

"Yes, baby."

We shut the curtains and quickly took all our clothes off to make love for the first time in our new home city. And it felt so nice. I've missed that so much. Afterwards, we laid on the bed, uncovered and panting from exhaustion.

"I so needed that." Evie said.

"Me too." I said.

Evie turned herself over to look at me.

"Normally I'd be tired after doing this, but I'm not. How do you feel?" she asked.

"Same, actually. I'm getting hungry though." I said.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Because I am too." Evie said.

"What should we have for dinner?"

"Well, how about we celebrate? Cities like this usually has good food. So let's go all out at a nice restaurant."

"Are you sure, Evie? What about our money?" I asked.

"Mal, we're kind of rich right now. We'll be okay. Trust me."

"I trust you."

"Good. Now let's freshen up real quick and get dressed." Evie said.

After we did, Evie got on her phone and looked at the map for nice restaurants. She found a nice one and it was less than a mile from our hotel room. It would take no time to drive there, but Evie suggested we should walk there so we can check out the scenery. I happily agreed and was excited to have our first meal in Canada. There are so many things to look forward too. And I'm glad a part of my dream has come true.


	43. The Encounter With Unique Pirates

_The Encounter With Unique Pirates_

[_Vancouver, Canada. 5:54 pm_]

Mal's POV

We left our hotel room and started our walk to the restaurant. It wasn't dark out yet, but street lights and building lights were starting to turn on. We held hands as we were checking out everything.

"Oh, Mal. This is an amazing city." Evie said.

"It is. This easily beats Auradon for sure." I said.

Evie then stopped and had me look at her.

"Are you okay, Mal?" she asked.

I was a little surprised to hear her ask me that suddenly, but she does worry about me.

"I am. I'm fine, Evie. I really am." I said.

"Yeah. You know, they're probably been looking for you." Evie said.

I smiled.

"Let them. They're never going to find me, or you. No doubt it's a mess back there, but I know our family will be alright. Audrey's probably lost her mind, and I don't really care how Ben feels." I said.

"But you're feeling okay?"

"I am. Now, can we continue our walk?" I asked.

"Of course, Mal."

I gave Evie a kiss on the lips and we resumed our walk. A few minutes later we saw an alleyway to our left. And way down past the end stood the restaurant. It became the perfect short cut. Otherwise we would have to walk a ways until we could make a left at the next intersection and walk all the way around. We agreed on it and started walking into the kind of dark alleyway. Which we would've thought twice if we knew what was going to happen.

We weren't even halfway down the alleyway when trouble started. Two guys stood in our way. Both were dressed like they worked in construction or even at the shipyard that wasn't far from the harbor where we docked our yacht. And we immediately got a bad feeling from these two.

"Hello, ladies." one man said.

"Hi." Evie said, while holding tightly onto my hand.

"Evening." I said.

"My name's James and he's Mike. Where are you two headed on this nice evening?"

That man, James, started to gain an interest in Evie. Of course, who wouldn't? The other man, Mike, didn't seem to have an interest in me though.

"We're going out for dinner." Evie replied.

"Oh nice! Mind if we join you? We know a great place for food and drinks. What do you say, blue bird? I'll buy you a drink." said James.

Blue bird? Really?

"No thanks. We'll pass." Evie said.

As we started to walk away, James stood right in front of Evie.

"But I insist." he said.

"I said no thanks. Now, please, let us be on our way. " Evie said.

Unfortunately for us, James wasn't going to take no for an answer. Evie exclaimed as he grabbed her by the arm. This is where things started to get a little violent.

"I'll ask you one more time. Come with me." James said.

"No!" Evie said.

"Let us be!" I said.

Mike made me and Evie lose our grip on each other's hand by forcefully pulling us away from each other. We both yelled and tried our best to free ourselves, but had no luck. Mike dragged me away from Evie a bit, while it seemed Evie was James' target. Evie had an uncomfortable look on her face as James felt her cheek.

"You're very pretty." he said.

Evie didn't say anything.

"Come on, sweetheart. Let me give you the best night of your life." James said.

"I already had lots." Evie said.

"Oh, but not like what I'm going to give you."

"Would it involve sex and drinking? Because I've already had nights like that."

James didn't like what Evie had said. He pushed Evie up against a wall nearby.

"Now, look! I'm going to take you out and that's final!" James said.

"Not with the way you've been, you're not." Evie said.

James grabbed Evie by her arms. Evie tried to make him lose his grip, but he was too strong.

"I'll let you go when you have some drinks with me." he said as he started to force Evie to follow him.

"No!" Evie screamed.

I tried to run to her, but Mike stopped and restrained me.

"Don't interfere!" he said.

"Let me go!" I said.

I looked ahead and saw Evie being pulled away. We both shouted each other's names while also starting to cry. It was a scary moment for us.

"It seems these two are closely connected. You better bring her along." he said to Mike.

"Yes, sir." Mike said.

He grabbed me by my right arm and started to pull me along.

"Let us go!" Evie said.

"Quiet! You'd both be fools not to come along with us." said James.

They pulled us through the alley way until a black SUV was seen up ahead.

"That's our ride. You both will get in with us." said James.

"No!" Evie screamed.

James pushed Evie to the ground, and he started walking to the car until...

"Stop! You're not getting any further!" said a male voice behind us.

We all looked behind us and saw another man with sort of long black hair dressed in a black shirt with a red trench coat unbuttoned over it with black pants and black boots running towards us. He ran past me and Mike and punched James. Evie gasped as James fell to the ground. Then I felt Mike lose his grip on me.

I turned around and saw a woman with long brown hair and dressed in a white and grey striped shirt with a yellow jacket unbuttoned over it. She also had blue short shorts on but black leggings on with tan winter boots. She punched Mike and he fell to the ground near James. James got up and looked at the two people who saved us. At least I think they saved us.

"Who are you two?" he asked.

"You don't know who we are? Well, I won't say anything. Except if you know what's good for you, you'll get in your vehicle and leave." said the man who punched him.

"If you don't, you might not like what will happen otherwise." said the woman.

"You both dress well and talk big. But you two should be the ones to leave. All I want is to have a drink with this blue beauty." said James.

"Yeah, but you know you wouldn't stop there." said the woman.

James tried to punch the man in red, but he caught James' punch and got hit instead. Mike tried to do the same thing to the woman, but she hit him as well. James and Mike tried it once more, but they got hit in the face.

"We can do this all night. But I really don't feel like it." said the man in red.

As the man in red started walking towards James, Mike pulled out a small pistol from his jacket pocket and aimed it at the man in red.

"You're gonna wish you hadn't interfered." he said.

"Oh no." I whispered, thinking Evie and I were about to witness a killing.

I looked around for Evie, but I didn't see her. I then looked at Mike and saw Evie sneaking up behind him. Then quick as a flash, Evie jumped and kicked the gun out of his hand. Mike exclaimed and went to grab for the gun on the ground, but Evie kicked him in the stomach and made him fall on his back. James ran towards Evie and tried to punch her, but Evie ducked under his hand and kicked him in the leg. He turned around and tried to punch Evie again, but Evie punched him first and made him fall near his partner in crime. I smiled as I thought that was the coolest thing for Evie to do. The man in red also smiled.

"Now that's how you make a show of things." he said.

Evie adjusted her stance, with both hands clenched. The man in red stood next to her on the left, with the woman on the right. Evie glared at the two other men, while the man in red crossed his arms and the woman had her left hand on her hip while moving her right arm in a swinging motion.

"You both are very bad people." Evie said to James.

"Yes. Now be good and let yourselves get beaten." said the man in red.

James and Mike were scared now.

"Hey, come on now. No harm was done." said James.

"Yeah, we were just having a little fun." said Mike.

"I wouldn't call attempted kidnapping 'a little fun'." I said as I stood up.

I walked over and stood next to the woman.

"Let's get out of here." said James.

"Agreed." said Mike.

They ran to their SUV, and the man and woman followed, but stopped as the two men started their vehicle and made a quick take off. Afterwards, they returned back to us.

"Thank you so much for saving us." Evie said.

"Of course." said the woman.

"But why? You don't know us." I said.

Evie hit me in the arm.

"Mal, don't be that way. Be grateful they came along when they did." she said.

"I am. It's just...well..."

I was at a loss for words. The man in red smiled at me.

"No need to say more. We saw what they were doing to you and we didn't like it. So we decided to beat them up." he said.

"Yep. Cause that's what pirates do." said the woman.

I quickly looked at the woman.

"Pirates?" I asked.

"Yes, we're space pirates." said the woman.

Evie and I were shocked.

"Space pirates?" Evie asked.

"You're from space? No way." I said.

"Oh, but we are." said the man.

"Yes. _Uch__ū_ _kaizoku _is what we call ourselves." said the woman.

That's a little bizarre.

"Wow, okay. I'm Evie, and this is Mal. What are your names?" Evie asked.

"The name's Luka. And he's Marvelous." said the woman.

"Marvelous? That's a unique name." I said.

"Yes, well, we're unique pirates. Not like your common Earth ones." Marvelous said.

That's a relief. Because Evie and I know some pirates. And I can see a feud happening between them and these two. As I was thinking that to myself, I noticed Marvelous staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Not only are you both very pretty, but you look skillful too. I know Blue is, but I'm sure you are too." Marvelous said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"How about you join us?" Marvelous asked.

"Join you?" Evie asked.

"Yes. Luka and I are searching for a treasure that's hidden on this planet. And we could use talented people like you." Marvelous said.

"Great idea, Marvelous! You two should join us." Luka said.

I smiled as that didn't sound too bad. I could use some excitement after what happened back in Auradon. I looked at Evie and Evie looked at me. She knew I would like too, as I think she would like too as well. But there's an important reason why we're here.

"That's very kind of you. But I'm afraid we'll have to decline your offer. Mal and I are busy right now. You could say that we're looking for our own treasure right now." Evie said.

"Oh? What's that?" Luka asked.

"Our forever home." Evie replied.

"Yeah, we just got here. We moved from a place far away. And we're looking for a home to start the next chapter in our lives." I said.

"Oh you two are together? Nice." Luka said.

Evie grabbed and held my hand.

"Forever and ever." she said.

"Well, Marvelous and I are together as well. It took him long enough to admit it, but he loves me and I love him." Luka said.

"Yeah, mostly." Marvelous said.

Evie and I smiled as Luka playfully hit him in the stomach.

"Well, Mal, Evie. It was nice to meet you." Luka said.

"Nice to meet you too. I hope we'll see you again." Evie said.

"We travel here occasionally, so I'm sure you will." Luka said.

"Well, see ya." Marvelous said.

"Bye." I said.

Luka followed Marvelous as he started to walk away, until Evie stopped them.

"Wait!" Evie said.

The two turned around and looked at Evie, as well as I did, confused.

"What is it?" I asked.

Evie walked up to Marvelous and Luka.

"Would you guys like to join us for dinner?" Evie asked.

That got Marvelous' attention.

"Dinner?" he asked.

"With you two?" Luka asked.

"Yes! You both saved us from being kidnapped. The least we can do is pay you with dinner." Evie said.

Marvelous and Luka looked at each other and smiled to Evie's invitation.

"Alright. Sure. We'll be happy to dine with you." Luka said.

"Since you're buying." Marvelous said.

"Great!" Evie happily exclaimed.

She walked back over to me and held my hand.

"Is this okay with you?" she asked.

"Of course. I don't mind at all." I replied.

And I truly didn't. Evie gave me a kiss on the cheek and the four of us walked to the restaurant. We got to the restaurant and was greeted by a waiter who walked us to a nice table in the corner of the restaurant. Surprisingly, it wasn't that busy for being dinner time. After we looked through the menu and ordered what we wanted, we talked, getting to know each other.

Marvelous and Luka told us about them being from different worlds and coming to Earth to find "the greatest treasure in the universe" and them defeating an evil space empire. Evie and I were a little skeptical about that until Marvelous showed us his phone which looked nothing like we've ever seen, plus it was far more advanced that any phone out there. Almost to me like it runs on magic. We told them a little about us. We didn't tell them who our parents were but we did say we were from Auradon.

"Auradon? I've flew above that place before. But never stepped foot there. Is there any value there?" Marvelous asked.

The kind of question a pirate would ask.

"No. We moved from there to here after…"

"Having a dispute with some people." Evie finished for me.

"Yeah. Besides the small family we have there, there's really no value there to us." I said.

Marvelous nodded in response. A waiter and a waitress brought our food to our table. I ordered some grilled chicken strips, Evie ordered a caesar salad, Luka ordered some tacos, and Marvelous ordered a big plate of boneless wings. So many wings, I asked if he was going to be able to eat all of that. Luka told me that Marvelous has a big appetite and also said that he once ate many different kinds of food in one sitting. She kept going on about it until Marvelous told her to "shaddup" and eat. Evie smiled to herself as we watched Luka slap Marvelous on the arm. Evie and I noticed they have a love-hate relationship. But mostly love. Anyway, as we were eating our dinner, I felt really happy inside. But yet, a little sad too.

I started thinking about Carlos and Jay. And then Lonnie and Jane. I was really beginning to miss them. And really wished there were more times the six of us ate meals together like we're having with Marvelous and Luka. But inside, I made a mental note. Right after Evie and I find our house and get settled in, I'm going to make arrangements to have them come over and visit us. That'll be my next mission.

After having that thought, I felt better and happy before Evie noticed anything wrong. We spent the next forty minutes in the restaurant before Evie paid for us. The total cost was just over sixty five dollars. More than Evie planned, but this was a nice way of celebrating our arrival. After paying, the four of us walked out of the restaurant and stood at the front of the building. It was completely dark out now, and the city lights were beautiful.

"If you both got here today, where are you staying?" Luka asked.

"We got a hotel room not far from here." Evie replied.

"Well, how about we walk you to the hotel?" Luka asked.

"Really, Luka? You know you don't have to." Evie said.

"Yeah. But I don't mind. Besides, I don't want you both to go through that alleyway by yourselves again." Luka said.

"Yeah, we'll definitely not go through there again." I said.

They walked with us to the hotel's entrance. It was a quiet walk, but nice.

"Thank you again for saving us." I said.

"Of course." Luka said.

"And having you buy us dinner makes it even." Marvelous said.

"Luka, you said that you both come here occasionally." Evie said.

"Yes?" Luka said.

"Well, I've been thinking, and well, maybe the next time we see you, we'll be living in our new house. And when that time comes, I'd like to invite you over for another dinner together. As friends." Evie said, reaching out her hand.

Marvelous and Luka smiled, as did I.

"Deal." Marvelous said, shaking hers first.

"Sounds good to me." Luka said, shaking Evie's hand after.

Evie hugged Marvelous and Luka. Then I hugged them.

"Well, see ya, Mal. See ya, Evie." Marvelous said.

"Bye." Evie and I said.

Just then, a loud engine sound was heard above. We looked up and saw a massive red flying pirate ship in the sky. But this ship didn't look anything like the pirate ships we've seen. Anyone could say they were space pirates, but not everyone would have that. As the giant ship hovered above us, two ropes were seen sent down from the ship. Marvelous and Luka waved to us before they grabbed the ropes and were pulled up into the ship. The ship then made a turn to the direction behind us and flew away.

"Now that was awesome!" Evie said.

"Wasn't it?" I asked.

It truly was. After we got inside our room, Evie stomped her foot on the floor.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I wanted to go to the harbor to get our things from the yacht." she replied.

"Oh. Well, let's go in the morning. Besides, I'm tired and don't feel like doing anything else." I said.

"Yeah, okay. Besides, it was nice of them to walk us here, and I don't want to waste that."

I grabbed Evie's purse from her and set it on the desk.

"Let's sleep naked tonight. When was the last time we did that?" I asked.

Evie stuttered for words.

"I...I don't remember." she said.

"Well let's make our first night here that way."

"Okay."

We took turns using the bathroom. And lastly we took our clothes off. Evie turned off all the lights in the room, except the one by our bed. We got into bed and I laid on top of Evie, with my arms around her and the blanket over me.

"You know, you were pretty awesome beating those guys up." I said.

"I was?" Evie asked.

"Yes. And meeting those pirates was pretty cool. But thank you for taking me here." I said.

"You're welcome, baby. Tomorrow, we'll begin the search for our house." she said.

"I can't wait." I said.

I snuggled myself closer to Evie and we kissed a few times, before Evie turned off the lamp by us. The only light was the moonlight sneaking in through the curtains.

"Good night, Mal. Sweet dreams, baby." she said.

"Good night, sweetness. Sweet dreams to you too." I said.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We kissed once more and we both soon fell asleep. For the few hours we've been here, I can safely say that I think we'll enjoy it here. And I can't wait to begin the search for our forever home.

* * *

**A/N: Marvelous and Luka are from **_**Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger**_**. I'm finishing a story on that, and I thought it would be cool to have my two favorite couples meet each other. This chapter wasn't really necessary, it was just for fun. Even if you're not familiar with **_**Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger**_**, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Happy Holidays!**


	44. Evie's Stroke Of Luck

_Evie's Stroke Of Luck_

[_Mal and Evie's hotel room. 8:00 am_]

Evie's POV

I woke up to my phone alarm going off. I turned the alarm off and sat up. I looked to my left and saw Mal still sleeping. I smiled at my baby girl and kissed her on her cheek.

"Psst. Mal, wake up." I whispered.

Mal moved a bit, but still had her eyes closed.

"What?" she groaned.

"I'm going to get dressed and get us breakfast." I said.

"Okay. Get me a biscuit."

"Sure thing. Anything else?" I asked.

"Yeah. Get me a betta. I want a betta fish."

It seems Mal is more than half asleep.

"A betta fish?" I asked.

"Yeah. But don't tell Evie. She might not like it."

I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"Wouldn't think of it. You go back to sleep now. I'll be back in a little bit." I said.

"Okay."

Mal turned over and didn't say anything else while I got myself dressed and ready the best I could. My makeup was still okay and I fixed my hair the best I could. I didn't worry too much though for the moment. I walked down to the hotel lobby and went to the small eating room to see what was for breakfast. However, it didn't have much choice like the cafeteria had back at school. Cereal, coffee, bagels and yogurt was all there was to choose from.

"_Looks like I'll have to buy us something_." I thought.

I returned back to our room and saw Mal was still sleeping. I gave her another kiss on the cheek and grabbed the car keys. I intend to go to the store, but I decided to go to the harbor first to get our luggage and things from the yacht. If I'm going to the store, I'll need to freshen up better first. I left Mal a note on a notepad that was on the table with the lamp telling her I was going to be out to get our stuff in case she wakes up while I'm gone. I then left the room and walked back to the eating room and got myself a cup of coffee and walked out to the car.

It was a bit of a drive to the harbor. Especially since I was in the morning rush hour. But I wasn't in a hurry, so I went with the flow of things. I arrived at the parking lot to the harbor and walked on the pier leading to our yacht. I unlocked the doors and grabbed what we needed for the day. I wasn't going to bring in everything. It's a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the yacht, so I'm just bringing the two suitcases that's got our clothes, personal care products like makeup and our hair irons, stuff like that. I locked the yacht back up and made my way back to the car. Thank goodness the suitcases had wheels on them.

I stopped at a fast food restaurant and ordered Mal and I some breakfast along the way back to the hotel. After struggling a bit, I managed to returned back to our room. I wasn't upset about it though. Seeing Mal sleeping peacefully made it alright. I love her with all my heart. I wanted to wake her, but decided to let her sleep more and sat the bag of food by her with a new note written by it. I quietly ate as I changed clothes and did my makeup and hair. Lastly, I was out the door again.

As I was driving, I noticed the skies becoming very grey. But yet for some reason, it looked really nice. It was a little cold due to a bit of wind, but the weather just seemed perfect. But then something really got my eye. There was a sign just outside of a parking lot to a nice looking building. The sign read "Looking for fashion artists".

"Oh my god. What is that?" I said.

I pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car. I got out and walked to the sign to get a better look. The sign also stated high pay and great benefits. Nothing more.

"Fashion artists?"

That's me. That is so me. I'm a great fashion artist. What I'm wearing right now was made by me. All that I wear is made by me. I got to thinking, our money isn't going to last forever. It might be a good idea to think about getting a job. I mean, it's so obvious, right?

"I need to know more."

I got back into the car and parked it in a better spot. Before getting out, I checked myself in the mirror and after satisfied, I got out, straightened my clothes, and locked the car and looked at the building. The building is a little hard to describe, but it's basically a rectangular shaped building, with lots of windows. Five stories, with the first three stories a grey color and the top two a white color. There were some stairs leading up to the entrance, with a large water fountain not far behind it. And a sign carved out of some kind of shiny rock with the words "Elegance Industries" engraved onto it. This place is definitely high class, and I fit perfect within it.

When I walked inside, oh my gosh, I don't even know how to begin to describe it. All I can say is, the architecture was just as high class as the contemporary homes Mal showed me. If not maybe more. This place must have cost a fortune to build. It was clean, bright, and very amazing.

"May I help you?" a woman asked as she approached me.

"Hello. Yes, I'd like to know more about the position you're hiring for." I said.

"Of course, right this way." the woman said.

She led me over to the main reception desk and handed me a piece of paper.

"This tells all about the position we're hiring for." she said.

"Great, thanks." I said.

I quickly looked it over and saw this place is hiring for a graphic designer, which I can totally do. It doesn't list the pay, but seeing this place, it must be good. As I was still looking it over, a woman approached the reception desk.

"Gia, have those reports come in yet?" she asked the receptionist who I guess her name's Gia.

"No, ma'am."

"Great. I've asked for those two days ago. It's hard doing many things by myself." the other woman said.

She then looked at me.

"Oh, hello. I didn't see you there. In fact, I've never seen you before. Have we met?" she asked me.

This woman appeared to be no older than her mid thirties. Light brown skin tone with long black hair. She was wearing a silver dress which I immediately gained a liking too.

"No, I was just looking over the info about the position you're hiring for, that's all. I'm going to be on my way now." I said.

I turned around and started to walk out. Until the woman stopped me by saying "wait". Apparently, she gained a liking for me. For what was going to follow next was mind-blowing. I turned around and looked at her curiously.

"Your clothes. They look really nice. Where did you get them?" she asked.

"Oh, thanks. I made them myself." I replied.

"No way."

"Yes, ma'am, I did."

"I'm Gabriella. I'm the executive of Elegance Industries."

"Evie."

"Evie? That's a nice name." Gabriella said as we shook hands.

"Thanks." I said.

"So you made those clothes yourself, huh? So you must design too, right?" Gabriella asked.

"I do. I have a couple of sketchbooks." I replied.

"Just by looking at you, I can see great potential in you. Follow me to my office. I'd like to talk to you more." Gabriella said.

"Um, okay." I said.

I barely said anything and I've already made a great impression. I followed her on the short walk to her nice office and sat in a chair across from her in front of her desk.

"Tell me about yourself, Evie." Gabriella said.

Oh god. Where shall I begin? Should I tell her where I'm from? Should I tell her everything? Or should I tell her as much as I told Marvelous and Luka about me?

"You're a little shy, aren't you?" Gabriella asked.

I can be sometimes. Although normally right now, I wouldn't be. But I figured for now it's best if I play it like I am.

"Sometimes I am." I said.

"That's okay. I'll tell you a little about me. I started getting into fashion when I was twelve and worked in an arts and craft store when I was seventeen. And worked there until I was recommended to this place when I was twenty and worked here until the previous executive stepped down and I was chosen to take the place a few years ago."

Wow, that's quite impressive. Now what do I say? I was trapped on an island until I was sixteen, but I've always been good at fashion due to my mother constantly nagging me about being the prettiest?

"Wow. It seems like it was meant to be." I said.

"I think so. Like a gift I was graciously given." Gabriella said.

"Well, I've been into fashion myself since I was little. My mom was into it herself and she taught me a lot on how to sew. And the outfits I wear today, I made myself." I said.

"And I'm guessing blue is your favorite color?"

"And red, yes."

Gabriella smiled.

"I like you, Evie. But let me ask. How good are you when it comes to other skills?" she asked.

Well, I ran my own business. So really good. But I know for sure I mustn't say that.

"I'm very organized. I can work quickly even in a fast paced and stressful environment. And I have excellent money skills. Accounting, budgetary. I'd like to think I'm more than just a pretty face."

I probably shouldn't have said that last part, but it's a good thing I did. For Gabriella laughed.

"I like you, Evie. I really do. You remind me of a younger me. It sounds like you know what you do. And if you keep working hard, you'll probably one day be in a great position like me. So therefore, I'd like to help you get started on your career. I'd like to see what you got. Put you to the test, sort of speak. I'm not going to hire you for the position you've read about. Instead, I'd like to hire you to be my personal assistant." Gabriella said.

That is the mind-blowing part I mentioned earlier.

"P-personal assistant?" I asked.

"Yes. It may seem like a lot to start with, but you seem like someone who can handle it. You'll be working directly beneath me. You'll schedule my meetings, answer phone calls and emails. Do different errands for me. But you'll also be an assistant manager too. You'll be working with other departments to help manage and guide them. Evie, I'll start you with seven hundred and thirty dollars a week. With eighteen dollars an hour...that'll total to be about...thirty five thousand a year."

I could not believe what I had just heard. I swear I thought I was dreaming, but I wasn't. This was real. Very real. It was just about overwhelming. I was at a loss for words.

"Did I say something wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, no. No, not at all. It's just, well...You see, I have a girlfriend. And I know I should jump at the chance. But I was wondering if I could...maybe, like, have the rest of the day to think it over and let you know tomorrow?" I said.

"Yes, of course, Evie! You go on home and talk it over with her. And in the meantime, I'll get the documents made."

"Okay." I said.

"Sounds good?"

"Yes. Thank you." I said.

We both got up and shook each other's hand.

"I'll be back tomorrow." I said.

"And I'll be ready." Gabriella said.

"Okay. Well, goodbye." I said.

"Goodbye, Evie. Have a great day."

"You too."

I left the building, shaking and happy as I walked to the car. I sat in the seat for a minute, trying to get myself together.

"Oh my god. Seven hundred and thirty a week?"

I took out my phone and did a calculation and was shocked to see it totaled to be almost three thousand a month. Of course taxes will be taken out, but still, that's quite a bit of money. I did another calculation and saw I'd be working forty hours a week. Which I guess the days I'll be working will be like eight hours. But that's fine. School was six hours, so a couple more hours will be okay. I can handle it.

After feeling fine again, I drove to a large grocery store and bought Mal and I some food. Most of it was microwavable food, but that's okay. Then I got to thinking we can cook and eat on the yacht too. Speaking of that, I better find another place to dock that thing. Tomorrow is the last day it can be at that harbor. After buying forty dollars worth of groceries and other things, I walked out to the car and opened the trunk.

As I was putting some bags inside, I noticed a group of three guys talking about some kind of elections for mayor and office happening soon. As I was driving around, I did notice some campaign signs posted near intersections and off to the side of the road. Vote for this person and vote for that person. Vote yes to this, vote no to that. You know how it is. Anyway, it was kind of interesting to listen to these guys.

"Whether you agree with him or not. You gotta admit, our citizens should be paying more attention as to who's going to be the next mayor. And free drinks or not, I'm voting for Burke." said one guy.

"Burke? Didn't you hear me telling how he robbed me blind when he fixed my hunting rifle?" asked another guy.

The first guy nodded in response.

"Well only a second grade boob would vote for a slicker like that." said the second guy.

"You calling me a boob?"

"If the shoe fits."

The first guy raised his fist and was about to punch the second guy, when the second guy punched him in the stomach, causing the first guy to groan loudly and fall to the ground. I smiled to myself as I put the last two bags in the trunk.

When I got back to the hotel room, Mal was up and was watching tv. She was watching a cartoon about this monkey that doesn't have a tail.

"E. There you are." Mal said.

She got out of bed and was only wearing her shirt and underwear.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"At the store." I replied as I sat down the bags.

"You spent three hours at the store? Well, I guess I can see how you would." Mal said.

Three hours? Wow, I didn't even notice that.

"No, baby. That wasn't the only place I've been." I said.

"I seen you went to the yacht and got me breakfast. So thank you for that." Mal said.

"You're welcome."

"But really. Where else have you been?" Mal asked.

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Let's have a seat in the bed."

I turned down the volume of the tv and partially laid in the bed with Mal on top of me, making eye contact. I can never get enough of those beautiful green eyes.

"I got a job, baby." I said.

"A job? Really?" Mal asked.

"Yeah. Our money from Auradon isn't going to last forever, so I figured I'd better get one. It'll give me a lot better chance of getting approved for a mortgage. Otherwise, how can we afford to pay for the house and other living expenses?"

"Right. Never thought of that. So when do you start?" Mal asked.

"Well, not quite yet. I was only offered the job, but I didn't take it yet. Because I want to talk to you about it first." I said.

"What is it?" Mal asked.

I told Mal about me noticing the sign on the way to the store. I then told her about the building I saw on the outside and the inside to meeting Gabriella and her seeing potential in me. I told Mal I didn't say anything about me other than me being good at sewing and financial stuff. And then I told her about the job offer and its benefits.

"Seven hundred a week?" Mal asked.

"Yes! I figured I'm probably going to work forty hours a week with eight hours a day, but hey! Eighteen dollars an hour? That's really good! I'll be making us lots of money! " I said.

I was excited until I noticed Mal have a saddened expression.

"M, what's wrong?" I asked.

Mal sighed and got off me and walked over to the window and pushed the curtains away from each other and stared out the window.

"What's wrong?" I asked again as I walked over to her.

"I'm going to be stuck in a room again, aren't I?" Mal asked.

"What?"

"Just like when I was suspended. You would leave to be in your classes, and I would be stuck inside a room all day. Alone and with nothing to do."

Oh no. I had forgotten all about that. I pretty much put all the bad things that have happened recently behind me, but I should've known it wouldn't be that easy for Mal. I smiled as I had an idea. I put my arms around her and kissed her on her neck.

"It won't be like that, Mal. Trust me, it won't be like it was back in Auradon." I said.

"How?" Mal asked, turning around to look at me.

"Because you have the option of leaving whenever you want. We got two key cards. One for each of us. So you can leave and come back. Plus, I'll buy you some fun things. Like movies, coloring books, anything. Plus, we have wifi, so you can use my computer and I can buy you some games you can play on my computer. The only thing that'll remain the same is I won't be here." I said.

Mal slightly smiled.

"You sure have a way with words, E." she said.

"I know. But of course, you can always text me. And I'll call you when I'm on a break or lunch. Unlike back in Auradon, there's no one here to stop me from doing that. I won't forget about you, I promise." I said.

Mal smiled bigger and hugged me tightly. I smiled and hugged her back with a kiss on the head.

"I love you, Evie."

"I love you too, Mal. Forever and ever." I said.

Mal let go of me and held my hands.

"Go for it, Evie." she said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Absolutely. It's perfect for you, E. Imagine all you can learn from her."

"True. But you're really okay with me taking the job?" I asked.

"I want you too, Evie. That way, there's something here for you as well." Mal replied.

"Thanks, baby." I said as we hugged again.

"Are we going to look at houses today?" Mal asked after the hug.

"We can. We can just drive around some neighborhoods and see what's out there. I thought about contacting an agent, but I don't think we should just yet. But let's go to a store and buy you some of those fun things." I said.

"Really? May I drive?" Mal asked.

"Of course. But get dressed first." I said.

"Oh, right!" Mal exclaimed.

I laughed as Mal looked at herself. She wasted no time picking out something and getting dressed. As she was in the bathroom, I was sitting on the couch in the front room, thinking to myself. I'm getting a job. So what else have I forgotten? Well the next thing I need to do is find another harbor for the yacht. I'm sure Mal won't mind if we do that while we're out. I snapped out of my thoughts when Mal walked out of the bathroom and stood by me.

"Ready?" I asked.

"I am." Mal replied.

We gave each other a nice kiss before I grabbed my purse and handed Mal the car keys.

"Let's go." I said.

"Alright." Mal said.


	45. Date Night At The Mall

_Date Night At The Mall_

[_Vancouver, Canada. 3:38 pm_]

Mal's POV

It has been a long time since I drove. Come to think of it, the last time I remember driving is when I took Evie up the mountain in Auradon. We went to another harbor and after hearing about a good rate and all, we went back to our yacht and docked it at the new harbor. I drove the car back to the new harbor and waited for Evie while she drove the boat to our reserved pier. That took almost two hours, but it's set and done. On the bright side though, this harbor is closer to our hotel then the other one.

After picking Evie up, she suggested we should go to the mall. I didn't really want to since I didn't feel like walking around endlessly for god knows what else, but this weekend is her last before she has to work a lot, so I happily went along with it. We arrived at a mall that was ten minutes away. After getting out of the car in the parking lot, I was taken by surprise. This mall, was extraordinary. Huge, lots of glass windows, very fancy looking. There's so much to it, it's hard to explain it in writing.

"Now, besides the reason to buy you some things, I need to buy some outfits for work." Evie said.

"Really, Evie?" I asked.

"Yes. There are some clothes of mine I can wear to work, but I feel my Isle style clothes aren't going to be right. I just need to buy a few things to take their place." Evie said.

Alright, fair enough. After locking up the car and walking across the road to the entrance, I ran ahead of Evie and held the door open for her. She smiled and kissed me on the cheek.

"Oh damn." I said as we walked inside.

The inside seemed more massive than the outside. This mall had three stories worth of stores and restaurants. I looked at Evie, who had an excited look on her face. This mall is her paradise.

"_Okay, go along with it, Mal. Remember, this is for Evie. Look how happy she is._" I thought to myself.

She was indeed happy. After having that thought, I put all the anxious feelings aside and relaxed myself and felt better. I have to admit though, I too was curious to see what this mall has to offer.

"Before we go anywhere, are you hungry?" Evie asked.

"No, not really. Maybe in a little while. After we check out a few stores." I replied.

"Are you sure? Cause I don't mind buying you something to eat."

"I'm sure. Really."

"Okay."

We walked into the first department store and looked through the entire women's section. There weren't many blue colored tops, but Evie said she was okay with red, silver and even black. I tried the best I could to help Evie find some, but the ones I thought would look good on Evie, didn't seem that way to her. She did find a couple pairs of black pants though. Afterwards, we walked around the store for a bit. However, we didn't find anything else that really got us. Until we reached the summer apparel section. We walked down each aisle until Evie stopped and stared at this blue bikini set.

"_Oh no._" I thought.

I put my arms around her, breaking her from her thoughts.

"E, you can't wear that to work." I said.

"I know, but I just had an idea." Evie said.

"What?" I asked.

"How do you think I would look in that?"

"Stunning, I'm sure." I replied.

"I need to try it on." she said.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Yes, Mal. But you can help me." Evie said.

I immediately knew where this was going. And I liked it. I followed Evie to a seperate part of the store where the fitting rooms were. And surprise, surprise, we were the only ones in it. We chose the farthest room away from the entrance and Evie started taking her clothes off and handing them to me. When she was fully undressed, I started to feel extreme feelings of arousal. I put Evie's clothes off to the side next to me and Evie watched me as I took my jacket, shirt and bra off.

"M, what are you doing?"

"Do you really expect me to just sit here and watch you try on a bikini and not do anything?" I asked as I took off my pants.

After I took my shoes off, we were both completely naked and it's easy to guess what happens next. I pushed Evie down onto the seat in the tiny room and got on top of her and looked at her beautiful eyes.

"I'm glad you're mine." I said.

"Right back at you." Evie said.

After a kiss, I looked down to her chest and saw the almost invisible cut. Evie looked at my finger as I gently traced it.

"It's okay, baby. It's almost gone." she said.

"I know. Thank goodness."

Evie cupped her hands on my cheeks and smiled at me.

"You got me. What are you going to do with me?" she asked.

"Kiss you." I replied.

Evie smiled bigger and lets go of my cheeks and next I feel something touch me right where I like to be touched. Evie pulls me into long kisses to mask the sounds of my moans as she continued to feel me.

"You love me, baby?" Evie asked.

I nodded.

"Good, cause you're my baby forever."

We both moaned softly to the stimulating feeling. I rubbed Evie's thighs as we kissed many times. That lasted for a few minutes before Evie gently pushed me off her.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"We can't go any further. Not here." Evie replied.

"Oh, come on, E. You don't want to have sex in a store? You don't want to be a little daring?" I asked.

"No. Well, not here. Let's save that for tonight." Evie said.

"Oh, okay."

It was probably for the best. We both would probably end up making a mess that we couldn't clean up. After I got myself dressed, I looked back at Evie. The bikini she tried on was a bright navy blue in both pieces.

"How do I look?" Evie asked.

"Very nice. But may I ask, why do you want that?"

Evie sat on my lap, with her arms around my neck.

"Because, I thought tomorrow we should spend the day out on our yacht." she said.

"Our yacht. I still can't get over that you stole a yacht. How did you manage that anyway?" I asked.

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Come on, tell me."

"I will. Not here. Later." Evie said.

"Okay."

"Anyway, this feels perfect and looks perfect." Evie said as she got off me.

"It does."

"So I'm going to get this. But you should pick one out for yourself."

"Okay, I will."

Evie took off the bikini and got herself dressed and we walked back out into the store and back to where we were. The store didn't seem to have anything in purple, but then I saw a black bikini set with a hint of purple. Evie pulled me back into the fitting room and had me take off my clothes so she can see what it looks like on me.

"You look so good in that." Evie said.

"I do?" I asked.

"Yes. I'll get it for you."

I put my clothes back on and we bought our new apparels and left the store. It was then I was starting to get hungry.

"I'm getting hungry now." I said.

"Me too. Let's eat." Evie said.

Luckily the food court wasn't too far away. We chose a place, got our food, then sat at a table that was near some large potted plants and a large water fountain. I ordered a good size plate of nachos and Evie ordered a small cup of chili. After we sat down Evie dug through her purse and pulled out a fifty cent coin.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Going to make a wish." Evie replied as she stood up.

I watched her as she walked over to the water fountain. She said something, but I couldn't make it out due to the overlapping noise of the fountain and people talking in the distance. After she finished speaking, she tossed the coin into the water then returned back to the table.

"So, what did you wish for?" I asked.

Evie glanced a smile at me before taking a plastic spoon out of its wrapper and stirring her chili with it.

"E, what did you wish for?" I asked again.

"I'm not telling you, Mal."

"Why not?"

"Because, it may not come true."

"Yeah, but can't you-"

"M, no. I'm sure it'll come true soon enough. Just give it some time." Evie said.

I sighed and said "okay", then started eating my nachos. After eating a chip, I noticed Evie staring into her chili.

"You okay, E? I didn't upset you, did I?" I asked.

"Yeah, no. We're good, Mal. I'm good. I'm just waiting for my chili to cool a bit before I start eating it. It's too hot." she replied.

"So? You're hotter and I still eat you." I said.

Evie quickly looked up at me with her eyes widened and a gasp.

"Mal!" she exclaimed as she hit me in the arm.

"What? Oh come on. I mean, I'm not lying. You are hot. And you do taste good." I said.

Evie looked horrified at what I just said and she turned herself in her chair away from me with her arms crossed, looking quite annoyed. But I know she isn't. She did this before. Ah, yes. My Evie is playing a game with me. I got out of my seat and squatted down just enough to be face to face. With my right finger, I playfully poked both of Evie's cheeks.

"Ooh dee loo de loo." I said as I started to stroke under Evie's chin.

She's the only one I would ever do this too.

"Are you ticklish, Evie?"

Note to self, randomly start tickling Evie before she does to me. Not sure why, just sounds fun.

"Ooh dee loo de loo." I said again.

She thinks she is so tough, but at the sides of her lips, a small curve was seen.

"Ooh dee loo de loo."

The curve started getting bigger and bigger.

"Yeah, I see that smile. You can't resist me. I'm too lovable." I said.

Right before her breaking point, Evie cleared her throat, pushed some of her hair aside and re adjusted herself in the chair, while having another serious look.

"Okay. If that's how it's going to be." I said with a serious tone.

I got up and faced away from her. That note to self? It's time to commence. I smirked and quickly turned back around and with two hands, I tickled Evie on her sides, making her let out a loud squeal. A squeal so loud, it echoed through out the area. Many people looked at us, but I didn't care.

"Mal!" Evie exclaimed.

"Hi, sweetness." I said.

Evie smiled and laughed.

"Hi, baby. Come here." Evie said with arms out.

It felt so nice being in her arms. Evie hug me tightly and I hugged her even tighter. So tight, I heard a faint groan. I softly chuckled and we kissed each other on the cheeks, then on the lips. Afterwards, I sat back in my seat across from her.

"I love it when you do that little act." I said.

"I know you do. That's why I do it." Evie said.

After another smile, we resumed eating. After our snack, we went to a few more stores. It was then Evie started finding clothes she liked. She bought another pair of black pants. And some nice shirts as well. Very stylish shirts actually. She spent about a little over a hundred dollars for six pieces of clothing which I guess isn't bad. And lastly, we went to a toy store and Evie bought me seventy dollars worth of stuff. A few movies, a board game, headphones, a computer game, a puzzle, and a couple books. Evie offered to buy me more, but I told her that this is good for now. I really do appreciate everything she does for me.

We decided that was enough shopping for one day and we returned to our car with six bags of stuff. We didn't check out the whole mall. In fact, we only stayed on the first floor. But as Evie was putting the bags in the trunk, I promised Evie I'd take her back there again. She gave me a kiss and I opened the passenger door for her. She smiled and once she was in, I closed the door and got in my side of the car.

"Wow, holding doors open for me. That's new." Evie said.

"Yeah. But I thought I should treat you better. You deserve it." I said.

"What are you talking about? You treat me well. I don't need anything extra."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. All of a sudden, sadness seemed to strike me. And Evie immediately noticed it.

"What's wrong, M?"

I sighed again.

"I miss them. I really miss them." I replied.

"Our family?" Evie asked.

"Yes."

"I know. I do too. Never gone this long without seeing the boys. And I think I've never gone this long without seeing Lonnie and Jane also."

"I really miss them. You know, when we were having dinner with our two new friends the other night, I started thinking about them." I said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And after we get settled in, not only will we invite our new friends over, but I want to find a way to have Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane come visit us as well." I said.

"That'll be nice. If there's a way. I'm sure you'll find it." Evie said.

"I plan to. And I will." I said.

Evie gave me a kiss on the lips and stroked my hair.

"I just had an idea. Let's get back to the hotel and I'll call Carlos and see if we can web chat with him and the others. Cause I'm missing them too."

"That'll be great!"

I was starting to feel happy again. I got us back as quickly as I could. Without speeding, of course. It was pretty dark when we got back. After we got in our room, I opened the curtains to see the night sky and Evie jumped onto the bed and pulled out her phone.

"M, come sit by me." she said.

"Okay." I said.

I got onto the bed and laid closely next to her. Evie dialed Carlos' number and put the call on speaker. In a few moments, we heard his voice.

"_Hello?_"

"Carlos, hi! It's Evie!" Evie said.

"_Hi, Evie! Oh, it's so good to hear your voice again. Where's Mal?_"

"Right here next to Evie." I said.

"_Oh, Mal. I miss you both so much. How have you both been?_"

"We've been great. We're in Vancouver, and it's so nice here." Evie said.

"_That's good._"

"It is. Say listen, there's a lot that's happened in the past few days we've been here, but I called to ask when would be a good time for all of us to web chat." Evie said.

"_Well, probably tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon afterschool. Everyone's asleep now, I'm just out going for a run._"

"Asleep? But it's only sunset." I said.

"_Sunset? It's dark out here. It's shortly after nine._"

"Different time zones. I hadn't considered. Okay. Well, you're about four hours ahead of us, so this won't be too difficult to figure out." Evie said.

"_I'll tell you what. In the morning, our morning, I'll talk to everyone, and see when would be a good time for all of us to get together. Then I'll call you and let you know. Because a lot has happened since you left._"

"Really? Okay, that sounds great. Well, we'll let you go now and talk to you soon." Evie said.

"_Okay. I love you, Evie. I love you, Mal._"

"And I love you." Evie said.

"I love you too, Carlos. Bye." I said.

"_Bye._"

Evie hanged up the call and I laid on my back, releasing a sigh.

"Feeling better?" Evie asked.

"I do. It felt nice to hear his voice again." I replied.

"Same. I can't wait to speak to them. "A lot has happened since you left". I wonder what it could be." Evie said.

"Probably something to do with Audrey and Ben. And them trying to find me and you, no doubt." I said.

"Most likely. Well, let's change into our night dresses and lay back down. I'm tired." Evie said.

"Same." I said.

We changed into our nightdresses and took turns using the bathroom to get ourselves ready for bed. Afterwards, I closed the curtains and cuddled close to Evie in bed.


	46. Weekend Exuberance

_Weekend Exuberance_

[_Mal and Evie's hotel room. 8:30 am_]

Mal's POV

The next morning arrived and for some reason I thought it was Saturday, when really it was Friday. You know how you sometimes get mixed up in the days? I was feeling just that. After using the bathroom, I got dressed and walked to the lobby to see what was for breakfast. After not seeing much, I got myself a bagel as well as a cup of coffee for me and Evie. As I was heading back to the elevator, I stopped at a small stand by a desk that had pamphlets of different attractions and places in Vancouver. I took some pamphlets of the places that interested me the most. And then I grabbed a newspaper, might as well know what's going on around here, and lastly I saw a small stack of papers that had house listings on them. Perfect.

But I got to thinking and we agreed to start house hunting, but for now, I think it's best to put it on hold. Just through the weekend at least. I want to spend some good quality time with Evie. I grabbed a housing paper and took all of that and the coffees and the bagel and returned back to the room. When I walked in the bedroom, Evie was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to wake up.

"Morning, E." I said.

"Hi, morning, M." Evie said.

I gave Evie a kiss on the cheek and handed her a cup.

"Here, coffee." I said.

"Aw, thanks."

After watching Evie take a small sip, I took my clothes off and replaced them with my nightdress. Then I sat closely next to Evie and we drank our coffee together while splitting the bagel. Afterwards, Evie wanted us to take a shower. It was a good idea. We hadn't taken one since we left Auradon. So we got in the shower and took turns putting soap on each other and kissed many times. But as we were engaged in another kiss, Evie's phone was heard ringing in the bedroom.

"Just leave it." I said.

"No, Mal. It's most likely Carlos." Evie said.

"Oh, well I guess you better get it." I said.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." Evie said.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her and quickly walked out of the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came back into the bathroom, took off the towel and joined me back in the shower.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"Carlos said we can all webchat on Sunday." Evie replied.

"Sunday?"

"Yeah. I was hoping for today or tomorrow. But he said that him and Jay have tourney practice afterschool today and a game tomorrow. And Lonnie is busy with a Swords and Shields practice today as well and Jane has something going on with her mom on Saturday. But everyone is free on Sunday." Evie explained.

"Well, okay. We would want them to continue on with their lives." I said.

"Indeed. Now, where were we?"

"Right here."

I closed the curtain and gave Evie a nice french kiss.

"Oh, baby." Evie moaned.

"Yeah, you like that?" I asked.

"Yes."

I smiled and pulled Evie into a hug.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you, too."

After the hug, we rinsed our bodies and I turned off the water. I opened the curtain and got out of the tub first, but turned back to it and reached my arm out for Evie to grab. Evie smiled at the gesture and happily grabbed my hand so she can step over the tub.

"That's really nice of you, Mal. But you know you don't have to." Evie said.

"I do. But I figured since we're basically starting a new beginning, in a new place and will eventually have a new home, I thought I should change a few things about myself." I said.

And I meant it. I haven't said this before, but I'm planning a couple changes with myself. Not only on how I am, but also how I'll look. I'll explain more later.

"Alright. But don't change yourself too much. Remember, I love you for who you are. You're perfect to me." Evie said.

"I know." I said.

"Okay. Let's dry ourselves off and get ready. We got a nice day ahead of us." Evie said.

"Yes, Evie."

We dried each other off with a towel and did everything we needed to. After finishing, Evie first suggested we should wear our bikinis under our clothes, but then decided we can put them on when we get to the yacht. I happily went along with that. We got dressed and put our shoes on and were ready for the day. Evie microwaved us some sausage egg and cheese biscuits and we ate them on the couch in the next room over.

This hotel room is so cool. After eating, Evie put our bikinis in the blue tote bag with a red salmon fish she bought at a shop when we went up the mountain in Auradon. Never did go back up there. But anyway, Evie said there were towels packed in the yacht that were from our former dorm room, so we didn't need to buy any. She put a bag of chips in the tote bag along with a couple small bottles of soda she bought from the grocery store. After we grabbed what I needed, I grabbed the car keys and let Evie walk out first before me.

Before arriving at the harbor, Evie told me she needs to stop at Elegance Industries so she can tell Gabriella she accepts the job. I didn't know where it was, but Evie navigated me to it. When we got there, I was amazed by the looks of the building. The architecture, the landscape, wow.

"Stay here, baby. I shouldn't be too long." Evie said.

"No worries, E. I'll be here." I said.

Evie gave me a kiss before getting out of the car.

Evie's POV

When I walked inside, I was greeted by the receptionist, Gia.

"Hello!" she said.

"Hi!" I said.

Gia, a girl who looked to be in her early twenties with green eyes and long blonde hair.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I'd like to speak with Gabriella, please." I said.

"Is that Evie I hear?" asked a female voice.

I turned to my right and saw Gabriella walking up to us.

"Miss Gabriella." I said.

"Please, just Gabriella. In fact, you can call me Gabi." she said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Of course! Everyone here does. I'm only called Gabriella when I'm dealing with other business people or I'm meeting someone new. So call me Gabi."

"Okay...Gabi. I'd like to talk to you please." I said.

"Sure. Let's talk in this conference room." Gabi said as she pointed to a room nearby.

"Okay." I said.

Just when we were about to start walking, Mal came running in.

"Evie!" she called.

When she saw me, she ran up to me.

"Thank goodness I easily found you." she said.

"M, what's going on?" I asked.

"There's this guy. And he came knocking on my window. Then he told me to get out of the car and I felt like he was going to attack me so I made a run for it in here and-"

"Okay, Mal, slow down. What are you saying?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, but who is she?" Gabi asked.

"She's my girlfriend." I replied.

"Oh, she's the one you mentioned?" Gabi asked.

"Yes." I replied.

Just then, a security guard came running in the building and immediately noticed Mal.

"There you are!" he exclaimed.

"Is there a problem?" Gabi asked.

"That girl was acting suspicious in the parking lot."

"How was I acting suspicious? I was only sitting in the car!" Mal said.

"It's okay. She's with us. You may return back to your post." Gabi said to the guard.

"If you say so, ma'am."

After the security guard left, Mal sighed heavily.

"Thank god." she said.

"So what's your name?" Gabi asked her.

"Mal."

"Mal? That's a nice name. I don't always hear that name. I'm Gabi. I'm the executive here."

"So you're the person Evie's talked about?"

"I am. But may I say, I love your purple hair. " Gabi said.

"Oh, thanks."

"The dark purple, it's a nice tone."

"Well thanks. I'm glad you like it."

I walked over to Mal and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I am." Mal replied.

"Okay. How about you take a seat in one of those nice chairs over there while I talk to Gabi? Okay?"

"Okay, Evie." Mal said.

After following Gabi to the conference room, I told her that I happily accept the job offer. She was most delighted to hear that and asked when I can start and I told her as early as Monday. I followed her to her office to sign and fill out the documents she made. However, when it asked for an address, I was hesitant to tell her that Mal and I just moved here and were living in a hotel room, but I told her anyway. Surprisingly, she was alright with that and told me to just write down the hotel's address down. But luckily she didn't ask where we moved from.

Not too much later, I met Mal in the entrance and told her we can leave. We got back in the car and were on our way to the harbor.

"I told her I can start on Monday." I said.

"This Monday?" Mal asked.

"Yes. I told her that's the soonest I can start. That way, you and I have the weekend together." I said.

"That's nice. Thanks, Evie."

"You're welcome."

I had Mal stop at a nice fast food restaurant and get us two delicious looking cheeseburgers to go along with the chips and soda I brought. After we received them, I had to stop Mal from trying to take a bite out of one. It was funny though. I'd say it was around twenty minutes later when we arrived at our yacht. We grabbed our stuff from the car and walked to the boat.

[_Burrard Inlet. 11:55 am_]

Evie's POV

As soon as we were out in the water, far enough from civilization, Mal and and went down to the cabin, took our clothes off, and wore our new bikinis. We laid closely on the bow of the boat, with our backs on it, looking up at the beautiful blue sky.

"E?" Mal said.

"Yes, M?"

"I love you."

"Aw, I love you too."

Mal moved herself on top of me and laid on me, only hugging me. I rubbed her back while giving her some kisses.

"This is nice, isn't it?" I asked.

"It is. I see now why you wanted to do this." Mal said.

After Mal felt her stomach growl, she got up and grabbed our lunch from the cabin and brought it back. We sat crisscross from each other, eating our lunch. It was so relaxing and for the first time in a long time, I noticed Mal starting to become herself again. I believed her depression was finally fading away and she truly was becoming happy again. It was a wonderful sight to me and it brought me some relief.

I got a text message later. It was Gabi, sending me a website link to my schedule. My first day is Monday at eight am. I work five days that week. With Wednesday and Saturday as my day off and having seven and eight hour days.

After eating, we spent the rest of the day, relaxing on the yacht and we even had sex on the bow. Which wasn't surprising. We knew it was going to happen, but we were glad. It was wonderful. We took our time pleasing each other until we both hit our climax which felt amazing. We put our bikinis back on and laid on the bow, only listening to the sounds of the water. Mal fell asleep on me, but I didn't mind, I held her close to me as she was sleeping. Her purple hair shined in the sunlight, as did my blue hair.

I let Mal sleep until I noticed a red spot on her arm. She was starting to get sunburned. Dang, I forgot to buy sunscreen. Seriously? Aren't I supposed to think of everything? Oh well. Since her skin is a little more fairer than mine, I didn't want her to get more burned so I woke her up and had her come down to the cabin.

"Evie, the sun's warmth felt so good." Mal complained.

"I know. But it's for your own good, baby." I said.

"Well, you know everything." Mal said.

"Mostly." I said.

A strange noise was heard. A sound of hissing air. Then more was heard, one after another. I looked out the window and gasped.

"Mal, come look!" I said.

Mal walked over to me and was looking at was I was looking at. A large group of killer whales.

"Wow. They must be really popular around here." she said.

"I think so." I said.

All of a sudden, those whales gave me an idea. I didn't know what we should do tomorrow, but now I do.

"I got an idea. Those whales do interest me. What do you think of them?" I asked.

"They are kind of cool. I like the white patches on them. And the way they look, it is cool." Mal replied.

"I looked through the brochures you picked up from the hotel's lobby and I saw one for whale watching." I said.

"You did? Huh, must of grabbed that by mistake."

"I don't think it was. I think it was meant to be."

"Where are you going with this?" Mal asked.

"Hush. Tomorrow, how about we go on a whale watching tour? I heard that killer whales are quite interesting animals and I'm sure someone like you would even be interested in learning about them." I said.

Mal shown a quick smirk.

"I guess I would be. Alright, E. Sounds good to me." she said.

"Awesome." I said.

We stayed on the boat until sunset. Taking a nap in the cabin for a few hours, until we got ourselves dressed. I let Mal drive the boat back to the harbor. And the happiness in her face made me smile.

The next afternoon, Mal and I arrived at the whale watching office and bought tickets thirty minutes before a boat was scheduled to leave. Perfect timing. It ended up costing about four hundred dollars, which made Mal a little uneasy, but I told her it'll be worth it. And boy was it. After some preparations, we boarded the large vessel and headed to the Canadian Gulf Islands. The whole trip was magnificent. Not only did we see a group of killer whales, possibly the same group from yesterday, but we also saw seals, some dolphins and even a large eagle. But those killer whales was the main attraction.

We had someone take a picture of Mal and I with some killer whales in the background to send to our family. And the picture turned out perfect. I took many pictures myself with my phone and including a selfie of Mal and I with some killer whales in the background. The trip lasted four hours. Best four hours ever. I had so much fun and Mal did as well. After we returned back, I bought Mal a cute plush killer whale from the gift shop. Oh, who knew that whale watching would be an interest to VKs? We'll definitely be doing that again. A unique thing for Mal and I to do together.

[_Mal and Evie's hotel room. 9:14 am_]

Mal's POV

It was now Sunday, and Evie and I woke up to Evie's phone ringing. It was Carlos calling asking if it was a good time to webchat. Evie told him we'll be ready in thirty minutes. We got dressed and were looking our best. I was a little nervous, but also excited. Evie opened her laptop, did a couple things and before we knew it, we saw Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane on the screen. It was so nice to see them again.

"Hi guys!" Evie said.

"Hi!" they said as they smile and waved.

It truly was nice to see them again. I felt like I could cry, but it was a happy feeling.

"How are you two?" Jane asked.

"We're great!" Evie replied.

"Yeah, we're in Vancouver." I said.

"Yeah, Carlos told us that. How is it there?" Lonnie asked.

"It's wonderful." Evie replied.

"Believe it or not, it's more than what Auradon has to offer." I said.

"Really? That good?" Lonnie asked.

"Oh yes. It's really nice." I said.

"Tell us all that's happened." Carlos said.

"Well, it took us two days to get here. We just spent those days enjoying each other's company. But the first day here was really something." Evie said.

"Tell us!" Jay said.

"You want to tell them?" Evie asked me.

"Sure. When we got here, we came across this harbor to dock our yacht at. Evie bribed a man with a hundred and fifty dollars to dock it there for two days. After that, we rented a car but then Evie got us pulled over by speeding." I said.

"Uh oh." Carlos said.

"You guys got a speeding ticket on your first day?" Jane asked.

"No. Not at all." I replied.

The four had a surprised look on their face.

"Really?" Lonnie asked.

"How?" asked Jay.

"Evie flirted with the cop." I replied.

The boys laughed a bit.

"That's our Evie." Carlos said.

"How? Tell us, please." Jay said.

"Evie was wearing a low cut blue tank top under her jacket..." I began.

"Oh, I can see where this is going." Lonnie said.

"As she was telling the cop she didn't realize she was speeding, she slowly unzipped her jacket and pushed it aside and her bra straps were untucked, resting on her shoulders."

Everyone had a smile on their face as I was explaining.

"And her cleavage was easily seen and we could tell the cop was starting to get turned on by Evie. He had a hard time focusing and after a couple of different positions that allowed Evie to expose herself a little more, the cop let her go with a warning." I said.

The boys laughed and the girls smiled.

"That's awesome!" Jay said.

"You still got your touch, Evie." Carlos said.

"Indeed. It's a gift, that's for sure." Evie said.

"What else happened?" Lonnie asked.

"Well, we're in this amazing hotel room." Evie said.

Evie got up and brought the laptop with her and turned it around and walked with it around the room, showing it to them. Afterwards, she returned back to the bed with me.

"That is one cool room." Carlos said.

"It is. Cooler than our former dorm room." I said.

"And worth the money too. Five nights for just under four hundred dollars. It's the cheapest we could find, but yet it's not cheap looking or run cheaply." Evie said.

"Nice." Jay said.

"Anything else exciting?" Jane asked.

"There has to be more." Lonnie said.

"Oh yeah. When we decided to eat out at a nice restaurant to celebrate, two guys stopped us and this one guy, James, had an interest in Evie. He tried to get her to have a drink with him, but when he kept getting denied, he tried to take us along with his buddy." I said.

"They tried to kidnap you?" Lonnie asked.

"Yep." I replied.

"How did you get out of that?" Carlos asked.

"These two other people, a man and a woman, saved us." I replied.

"Really?" Carlos asked.

"Who?" Jay asked.

"They called themselves pirates. And they actually are." Evie replied.

"Pirates?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah. But not like the pirates we know. These two were completely different." I said.

"Marvelous and Luka were their names." Evie said.

"Wow. Unique names." Lonnie said.

"Indeed. After they saved us, Evie invited them to have dinner with us. And that was pretty much our day." I said.

"And the next day, when I was out getting breakfast for us, I got a job." Evie said.

"A job?" Jane asked.

"Let me guess. Something to do with fashion?" Jay asked.

"Oh, how did you know?" Evie asked sarcastically.

"Her first day is tomorrow, and it's at a really nice looking building. Very fancy looking. And her pay will be great too" I said.

"Yep. I will be the personal assistant to an executive of a major clothing business. It's bizarre. I still can't believe it, but I truly think it was meant to happen." Evie said.

"I think so too. But that's great. Then you'll be able to afford a house." Lonnie said.

"Have you two started looking yet?" Carlos asked.

"Not yet. But while Evie's at work tomorrow, I'm going to be on the internet searching for listings." I replied.

"Nice." Carlos said.

"One more thing. We went whale watching yesterday." Evie said.

"Whale watching?" Jay asked.

"I know. It's something that a VK wouldn't ever do. But it was pretty cool." I said.

"We saw a lot of killer whales during the time we spent here so far. And they're such beautiful creatures. We learned a lot about them and took lots of pictures. There's a couple pictures I'll send to you guys. But it was amazing." Evie said.

"Nice!" Lonnie said.

"I'm glad you two are having a good time." Carlos said.

"What you've told me has really helped. Thank you, Carlos." I said.

"Of course. You both are our sisters. Now and forever." Carlos said.

"Us six are our own family." Evie said.

"Absolutely." Jane said.

"Even beyond the end of our lives." Lonnie said.

"And we're proud of it." Jay said.

It was so comforting to hear all that. It truly was.

"So, I'm afraid to ask this, but what did you mean when you said "a lot has happened since you left"? What's been going on?" I asked.

"Well, I guess it's not a lot, in quantity, but it's big." Carlos said.

"Tell us." Evie said.

"Your speculation was right, Evie. The morning you left, at eight, Ben and a couple of his guards showed up at your dorm." Carlos said.

"Oh no." Evie said.

"After not finding you and seeing all your belongings gone, they came to us and started asking where you were." Jay said.

"What did you tell them?" I asked.

"We didn't know where you were." Jay said.

"Yes. We acted like we didn't know. And we acted so good, Ben believed us." Carlos said.

"We even fooled Audrey." Jay said.

"Audrey?" I asked.

"Yep. She was mad. She really was. Mostly at you, Mal. She believed that you kidnapped Evie and are dragging her around Auradon with all your belongings." Carlos said.

"Forcing Evie to be with you." Lonnie added.

I scoffed.

"Just as expected from Audrey." I said.

"And now there's an APB out on you, Mal." Jane said.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Ben told the other kingdoms to keep an eye out for you and now there's a reward for turning you in." Jay said.

"Really? How much of a reward?" I asked.

"Since you're highly wanted, let's just say you have a price on your head. One hundred thousand dollars." Carlos said.

I almost choked in my mouth from hearing that.

"Seriously?" Evie asked as I coughed a little.

"Assaulting Audrey is a serious crime, I guess." Carlos said.

"I guess so." I said.

"And since you'll most likely never come back, I think that reward will gradually increase." Lonnie said.

"Probably." I said.

"Not only that, but Ben is charging you for the crimes you did when you were spelled." Jay said.

"I knew he never forgave me. He hates me just like all the others." I said.

"No doubt it's a mess back there." Evie said.

"It kind of is. School's still normal, but there are many people worried about you, Evie. Especially since you're not around to make dresses for the dances and such anymore." Jay said.

"Well, that's what they get for not forgiving Mal. They reject her, they lose me." Evie said.

Well said, Evie.

"But on the positive end, we miss you, but we're glad to see you again and are happy for you both." Jane said.

"Thank you. We're glad to see you guys too." I said.

We talked for a little bit more, mainly the four telling us how things are going with them and what they've been up to. Then after running out of things to talk about, it was time to say goodbye.

"It was really nice seeing you guys again." I said.

"It was nice seeing you both as well." Carlos said.

"If you ever want to talk to us, any of us, don't hesitate to let us know. We maybe a little busy with school, but we'll be more than happy and willing to make time for you." Lonnie said.

What she had just said warmed my heart. This is the best family I could ever ask for.

"Thank you. That means a lot." I said.

"We love you, Mal. And we love you, Evie. Very much." Jane said.

"We love you guys too." Evie said.

"And we'll talk again. I'm still keeping my promise to you, Mal." Jay said.

I smiled.

"Looking forward to it." I said.

"Goodbye." Carlos said.

"Bye!" everyone else said as they smiled and waved.

Evie and I smiled and waved back.

"Bye!" we both said.

Carlos ended the call and Evie closed her laptop.

"That was really nice." Evie said.

"It was." I said.

"How do you feel?" Evie asked.

"Really good. I feel...really happy." I said.

"I know. I noticed it yesterday. You're becoming yourself again, and I'm really glad for you."

"Thanks, E."

We relaxed the rest of the day. Watching tv and laying in bed, close to one another. The last four days were really fun. But now, Evie goes to work tomorrow, and I need to start some work myself. It's time to begin to look for a house. While Evie's away, I'll spend the day on the internet looking endlessly at multitudes of housing listings. And little did I know, I'll soon find some great houses to choose from. The upcoming events are going to be so exciting.


	47. Finding Our New Home

_Finding Our New Home_

[_Mal and Evie's hotel room. 6:25 am_]

Evie's POV

Today is my first day at my new job and I'm super stoked. I just finished taking a shower, but now I'm having a hard time deciding what to wear. I need to wear something that'll make a good impression. I wrapped a towel around myself and lined up my tops on the side of the bed.

"Damn, why is this so difficult?" I said while scratching my head.

I bought too many good shirts at the mall, that's for sure. And having the shirts I made in Auradon? It's too much. I need another opinion. And who better to ask than my love? I tiptoed over to Mal and gently shook her. It didn't take much for her to open her eyes. When she did, she smiled at me.

"Hey." she said.

"Hi. Have you been up?" I asked.

"For a little bit." Mal replied.

"Oh, okay. Well, can you help me? I can't figure out what to wear."

"Sure."

Mal sat up and crawled over to the side of the bed where I have my shirts lined up.

"What are you trying to go for?" Mal asked while straightening her nightdress on herself.

"Something that'll make a great impression." I replied.

"A great impression? Why? You already impressed Gabi the first time you met her. What more are you trying to do?"

I sighed. Mal might be onto something.

"You're right. Am I overthinking this?" I asked.

"You're just nervous. That's all."

Mal jumped off the bed and gave me a kiss.

"Will you pick something out for me?" I asked.

"Sure." Mal replied with a cute smile.

She unwrapped my towel and let it fall to the floor. After picking a bra and panties for me, I put them on. Mal picked out a pair of black jeans. This pair was really nice and comfy. After I put them on, I put my black shoes on and together with the pants, they stopped just above the ankle, leaving some skin exposed between them and my shoes making it a nice look. And for the top, Mal chose me to wear a black lace short sleeve shirt. The shirt was a v-neck, with lace at the v-neck, as well as at the sleeves.

"Wow, you look beautiful, Evie." Mal said.

"I guess black is starting to become more of my thing now, huh?" I asked.

"I think so. You look beautiful." Mal said.

"Thanks."

"Just needs a couple more things." Mal said.

I tilted my head in curiosity as Mal went through my suitcase. She pulled out a black box and removed the top. I smiled as I knew what she grabbed: my heart and crown necklace. Mal put the necklace on me as well as a silver bracelet on my left hand.

"There, now you're ready." Mal said.

"Thanks, M. What would I do without you?" I said.

We hugged each other tightly. After the hug, I grabbed Mal by her legs and she made a cute squeal as I lifted her up onto the bed. I got on top of her and we kissed many times.

"You gonna be alright?" I asked her.

"I will." Mal said.

"Okay. I know this isn't going to be easy for you. It'll be hard for me. Leaving you by yourself again. But like I said, this isn't going to be anything like it was back in Auradon. You have lots of fun things here to do. And you can leave whenever you want. Go out for a walk, go eat, whatever. And I'll call you when I'm on lunch. So you'll be okay, right?" I asked.

"Evie, I'm a big girl. I'll be fine. Not trying to sound mean, but you're going to have to learn to not worry so much about me. We're not in Auradon anymore. There's no one here who can get to me. I'm safe and I'm fine." Mal said.

"Yes, but-"

"Hey, I'm not worrying. You and I are a special couple. You know we can get through anything and we can do anything."

Mal really is changing like she said she is. Don't get me wrong, I'm not implying it's a bad change, it's just, it'll take me some time to get used to, or adapt to it.

"You're right, Mal. Like you said, being here is a new beginning. And you are a big girl. You're my big girl." I said.

Mal smiled and nodded.

"Okay, let's have something to eat. I'm hungry." I said.

"Me too."

I microwaved us some sausage biscuits and we ate them together on the sofa. Mal sat on my lap with her legs stretched across the sofa. I lifted her dress up a bit to reveal her thighs and saw she was wearing a pair of bright purple panties. I admired her nice body, and I'm grateful that I have this beauty in my life.

"You're going to look for houses while I'm gone?" I asked as I rubbed her thighs.

"I am." Mal replied.

"Well, hopefully you'll find something." I said.

"I hope so too."

I grabbed my phone out of my jacket pocket and saw it was about time for me to leave.

"I better go." I said.

"Okay." Mal said while getting off me.

She helped me off the sofa and gave me a kiss.

"Hey, if you decide to go out, our money is hidden in my suitcase in the red box. So feel free to take what you need. I should get us a bank account though." I said.

"Another matter for another time. You have a great first day, Evie."

"I'm sure I will."

I brushed my teeth real quick before meeting Mal at the door. We kissed a few times, each one long and passionate. We gave each other a big hug before Mal handed me my purse and car keys and opened the door for me.

"Bye, baby. I Iove you." I said.

"I love you too, sweetness. Bye."

"Bye."

[_Elegance Industries. 8:00 am_]

Evie's POV

The commute to work surprisingly wasn't bad. I got there five minutes before and was greeted by Gia who showed me the way to the breakroom where there was an assigned locker for me to put my stuff. It was a good size locker. I took my jacket off, folded it, and placed it in the locker along with my purse and car keys.

I locked it up and headed back to Gia. She just finished putting me into the system when I returned back and she showed me how to clock in. Afterwards, Gia got a call from Gabi saying that she wants me to meet her in her office. After walking to her office, I knocked on the open door.

"Evie! Hello, good morning." Gabi said.

"Hi, Gabi. Good morning." I said.

"First day. Are you ready?" Gabi asked.

"I am."

"Great! There's so much that needs to be done, but for now, I'll give you the easy tasks until I can get a chance to teach you things in more detail." Gabi said.

"Okay. Just tell me what to do." I said.

Gabi walked to the side of the room where there was a table by a window. She picked up five white cardboard tubes and handed them to me.

"These need to be delivered to the developers on the second floor. Take the elevator that's towards the front and go to the second floor. The name and the office number of the addressee is on the label of each of those tubes. You shouldn't have any problems with that. When your done, come back to me." Gabi said.

"Okay." I said.

I left Gabi's office and headed down the hallway. Gabi's office was located near the end of the building. I walked towards the front and approached the elevator. I pressed the up button and the doors opened immediately. After arriving on the second floor, I was amazed. It's hard to describe, there's so much.

Lots of white and fancy finishes. Everything was clean and organized. And nothing seemed cramped and cluttered. Just wide open spaces, but yet none of the open space was wasted. The right side wall was all black, while the left side had a white finish. I guess I can describe it. Like I said, lots of white. White desks, tables and chairs. But the floor were grey tiles. There were some expensive high tech computers too. This floor was basically used by the designers. A floor a part of me wishes to work in, but I'm happy with the position I'm in.

Everyone seems very nice. I was greeted a lot. Everyone seemed to know I was new and who I was. I got a lot of "hey, you're Evie" or "Evie, right?" And I was given their names. It felt like a nicer environment than Auradon had. Of course when I first arrived there, I wasn't given this nice treatment like I'm getting here. But that's in the past. I can see it now. Elegant Industries is my place.

I delivered the tubes with no problems at all and returned back to Gabi. For the remainder of the day she showed me how to do different things like answer emails and invoices. I delivered papers and a few more packages to different people on the first and second floor. But mostly stayed with her as I did some clerical work with her.

[_Mal and Evie's hotel room. 11:07 am_]

Mal's POV

I was lying on the bed, with a bag of chips and a soda bottle beside me with Evie's laptop in front of me. I was on the website that Carlos told me about a long time ago when we were at the school carnival. He was right, homes in Vancouver itself are very expensive. I saw listings of homes that were high as forty million dollars. No lie. But that home had seven bedrooms. Why would we buy that when there's a home we can buy for about twenty eight million dollars that has twelve bedrooms? But we don't need a freaking mansion. We just need something small, yet exquisite for our first home.

I focused my search on the south side of the city. On the other side of Vancouver harbor. And homes there have a lot more affordable price range. However, the homes didn't look very pleasing to me. I know, we can't exactly afford what I dreamed about, but I was hoping for something a little bit better. After twenty minutes spent going through twelve listings, I started to come across some homes that didn't look too bad. And I was liking what I was seeing.

I found some homes that were two and three bedrooms with two baths priced no more than three hundred thousand dollars. That's more like it. With Evie's high paying job, we could easily afford the payments. I researched some more info on a mortgage and I have a better understanding on how that works. If we can get approved for a loan for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, then we have a great chance of getting a home because there will plenty of homes to choose from. I'll wait until Evie gets back to do that.

After a little while longer of looking at the listings, I started to feel tired and felt like taking a nap. So I saved the webpage I was on and closed the computer and went to sleep. I thought I heard my phone ringing, but was too sleepy to think about it anymore. Four hours later, I was awaken by a concerned Evie.

"Mal, are you okay?" she asked as I woke up.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine, Evie."

I rubbed my eyes and laid on my back. Evie was practically on top of me, rubbing my legs, giving me kisses and hugs.

"You didn't answer my calls." she said.

"I thought I heard the phone ring, but I was too sleepy to get up and answer it." I said.

"I was worried." Evie said as she laid herself on me.

"I'm sorry, Evie. But I'm okay. Honest." I said.

"Okay."

"So, tell me. How was your first day?" I asked.

"It was great! I really think I'm going to enjoy working there. I had a good time and really learned quite a lot." Evie said.

"That's good. I'm glad you had a great day."

"Me too. So, what did you do? Did you find us a home?" Evie asked as she jumped on the bed and sat next to me.

"I found some homes worth checking out. And the prices aren't bad. I found a good amount of homes that were no higher than three hundred thousand dollars." I said.

"Okay, that sounds great. Can you show me?"

"Of course."

I grabbed the laptop and opened it back up.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed as I saw the webpage link expired.

Great, now I'll have to search for it all over again.

"Easy, Mal. While you're looking, I'm going to get something to eat. Would you like anything?" Evie asked.

"Whatever you're having is fine." I replied.

"Okay."

Evie went to the small little kitchen and opened the mini fridge to pick something out. It didn't take long for me to find the page I was at because the website saved my search. Evie heated some chicken nuggets and joined me back on the bed with a plate of them. I showed Evie the listings I found and she was impressed by them like I was. After showing them to her, we noticed that all the houses that interested us has the same realtor. A woman named Kelsey.

"I'm going to give her a call and see if we can get a showing to these homes on Wednesday." Evie said.

"Sounds good." I said.

Evie called the number and was soon connected to the realtor. She told her that she was interested in some homes and would like a showing. The realtor asked if Evie can send her an email of the addresses of the homes and Evie said okay. After Evie does that, the realtor will get back with a time to meet.

Evie was given the email and after the call, we had to create one since neither one of us had email. Well, Evie wasn't going to use the one she used for her business. After we created one, we sent the addresses of the homes and were told that we can meet up at ten in the morning on Wednesday. Afterwards, Evie and I were very excited.

"You dream is getting closer and closer to coming true." Evie said.

"Indeed. But I realized it's not just my dream. It's our future together." I said.

"Agreed." Evie said as she pulled me into a hug.


	48. Finding Our New Home (Part 2)

_Finding Our New Home (Part 2)_

[_South East Vancouver. 10:00 am_]

Mal's POV

It was now Wednesday morning. It's time to begin the search for our home. Yesterday, we spent a good amount of time on the internet and was eventually able to get approved for a home loan for three hundred and fifty thousand. Which I'm not sure how that was possible, because we didn't think it was going to work, but it did. I believe it was meant to be. We met Kelsey on the driveway of the first house. We introduced ourselves and then Kelsey handed Evie papers describing the details of each house we'll look at.

The shape of this house didn't look too bad. It's a two story house with three bedrooms, three bathrooms with a two car garage and priced at two hundred and eighty thousand dollars. The yard was freshly graveled with a few small trees and a low white picket fence surrounding the front yard up until the driveway. However, one thing about it had already thrown me off about the house and that's the color of the house. A very unappealing yellow.

"I don't like the yellow." I whispered to Evie.

"We can easily have it painted to something else." Evie whispered back.

Right, should've known. Kelsey unlocked the front door for us and opened it for us.

"I'm going to be in my car to make a couple phone calls. When I'm done, I'll be here in the living room." Kelsey said.

"Okay." Evie said.

Kelsey closed the door behind her and left us to look around at our first home in Canada.

"Well, this isn't bad." Evie said.

"Oh god!" I exclaimed.

Orange. The living room walls was freakin' orange. And it was a bad orange too. It was so bad, I felt like the time when I saw pink in our dorm room. And that orange was not in the pictures in the listing.

"It's alright, M. Like I said, it can be easily painted. Let's look past the colors and focus on the bigger things." Evie said.

The only thing good about this living room was the size and the hardwood floors. But the living room and kitchen was not as open concept as I would like. Too much wall and you could hardly see the kitchen. We walked through the doorway that didn't have a door leading into the kitchen. But the kitchen wasn't the best either. But at least there wasn't orange in there as well.

The kitchen was outdated. A lot of old white cabinets and appliances. The countertops were white as well but with some grey. That was the only decent thing there. The floor was white tile, but it wasn't appealing either. I nodded my head in disappointment.

"Well, we looked. There's nothing here for us. Let's go." I said.

I turned around to walk back to the front door, but Evie stopped me by grabbing my shirt.

"Hold on, Mal." she said.

Evie made me face her and she gave me a small kiss on the lips.

"I know how you're feeling and what you're thinking. This isn't like the home in your dream, and I'm sorry. But we can't afford it right now. However, I'm not saying we'll never have a luxurious looking home, it's just can't be right away, that's all." Evie said.

I sighed.

"You're right, Evie. I just wish it could be that way." I said.

"I know. But for the meantime, let's look around and then look at all the other houses. There'll be things in each one we can change and make it a comfortable home for the time being. But when the time is right, we'll have our home completely remodeled to your designs."

"How much time?"

"I don't know. But I promise you, I'll work hard to make it happen as soon as possible." Evie replied.

I smiled.

"Alright." I said.

I started to feel better and held Evie's hand as we checked out the rest of the home. There were two bedrooms on the first floor, both a good size. The bathrooms were outdated, but I guess it wasn't too bad. I had a thought, if I see something I don't like, I'll compare it to the house I was living at back on the Isle. Because as bad as this house looks now, it's a hell of a lot better than my former home.

We walked up the stairs leading to the master bedroom which was a very nice size. The bathroom was big with a shower, large oval soaker tube, and a double sink, with a toilet, of course.

"This doesn't seem too bad, does it?" Evie asked.

"No, it doesn't." I replied.

Evie got in the large tub and sat down in it.

"Look at this tub. We both can easily fit in here. Imagine the baths we can take together in this thing." Evie said.

"That does sound nice." I said.

"Just picture it, it's dark in here with only a handful of candles as our light. We're sitting together in a nice bubbly bubble bath, with the sounds of romantic guitar music playing in the background."

I responded with a laugh. Evie has such an imagination sometimes. I reached my hand out for her to grab. She grabbed it and I helped her out of the tub. We looked around a bit more and saw that on also on the second floor is a bonus room and a good size laundry room. And we thought the bonus room would be perfect for Evie for her sewing. After that, we made a choice. We need to look only at the houses that have three bedrooms so Evie can have a space for her sewing and if she ever decides to start her business back up, she can. There was a small mudroom area located by the back door. I opened the door and took a peak at the yard. It was a small space. Not as big as I would like it to be, but the grass covering most of the yard was freshly cut, which made it look good.

We met back up with Kelsey at the living room and told her what we thought about the house. It wasn't bad, but we want to keep looking but we now we only want to look at home that has three bedrooms. Kelsey was happy with that and we crossed off the houses that were two bedrooms, leaving only three more houses to look at.

We followed Kelsey on the road to the next house. The home was a little smaller than the first, but not much. Listed at two hundred and fifty thousand which isn't bad. Same as before, three bedrooms, two baths, and this one also has a bonus room as well. It had nice curb appeal and was the house was grey in color which was so much nicer. We all walked inside, and this house was much better. Evie and I immediately saw the big bonus room that was to the right as you walk in.

"This is a great space." Evie said.

On the other side of the bonus room was the kitchen. And this kitchen was more open that the last house which was nice. It still looked outdated, but the openness makes up for it. And it was a good size too. This house was only one story, but the master bedroom and the other two bedrooms were complete opposite of each other. We looked at the master first, and was impressed on how it was. Nice size room and bathroom. Although it didn't have a large soaker tub, but it did have a nice big shower.

The two other bedrooms were a decent size. My only big complaint are the floors. The carpet throughout most of the house looks old and would immediately have to go. We checked out the back yard and it was big. An area of pebbles came before a large field of grass surround enclosed by a large wooden fence.

"I love this yard." I said.

"It is nice. But you would have to keep up to date with the grass." Evie said.

"No worries. We could buy one of those robotic lawn mowers." I said.

"Do those really work?"

"I don't know. But maybe one day we'll find out." I said.

We stood in silence for a moment until Evie sneezed.

"Bless you." I said.

"Thanks. So, what do you think of this one?" Evie asked.

"I like this house. I really do." I replied.

"Me too. I can see us living here. And the price is perfect. But let's look at the other two first before we make a decision." Evie said.

We headed back inside and met Kelsey in the kitchen.

"So what did you think of this home?" she asked.

"We like this a lot better than the last one." I replied.

"Yes, this one could be a possibility. We're going to keep this one in mind." Evie said.

"Okay, great! Shall we continue?" Kelsey asked.

"Yes." Evie replied.

We left and followed her to the next home. This home was about the same size as the previous one. Except the big downside to this house is this one didn't have a garage. And that is a little worrisome since it does snow in Vancouver. But, we still gave it a chance and looked around. It was alright, but not as nice as the previous one. However, this last house we will be shown will be a game changer.


	49. Finding Our New Home (Part 3)

_Finding Our New Home (Part 3)_

[_South East Vancouver. 1:24 pm_]

Mal's POV

We followed Kelsey to the last home. And oh my god, was this house nice. Unlike the other ones which were close to each other in a neighborhood, this house was in a neighborhood as well, but there was a good amount of land in between homes. Plus it was right at the end of the street that was about a mile from the harbor.

"I think you two are really going to love this home. It's priced at three hundred and fifty five thousand, but it's been on the market for a little over a month, so I think we can easily negotiate the price down." Kelsey said as we walked up the driveway.

This already sounds promising. This house had a nice tone of colors. It was mostly tan, but with a grey roof and white window trim. It's a two story home that has three bedrooms, two and a half baths and a bonus room. Kelsey unlocked the doors and let us walk in first.

"Oh my god." Evie said.

"This is not bad." I said.

First thing we noticed is the large open foyer. And past it was the living room and kitchen. It had the right amount of open concept as the house in my dream. And the kitchen was less outdated than the last three homes. The appliances were nice as well, all stainless steel. But it didn't seem like they come with the house. But anyway, large open space in the living room and the dining area. The kitchen was a little smaller than I would like it to be, but I can see it getting bigger. There is enough room for it to be expanded without too much living room space being taken away. I looked at the large dining table that was staged in the dining area and I can see our family sitting and eating meals together.

"Oh, this is nice." Evie said.

"Let's take a look at the rest of it." I said.

"I'll stay here in the kitchen." Kelsey said.

"Okay."

I grabbed Evie's hand and we walked back to the foyer and up the stairs, eager to check it out first. When we got to the top, we saw a door at the end of one hallway to the left and a door at the end of another hallway to the right. We decided to check out the left door first.

"Is that the master?" Evie asked.

"Let's see." I said.

I opened the door for Evie and followed her in. Indeed it was the master. A large bedroom.

"How big is this house again?" I asked.

Evie looked at the paper regarding the info about the house.

"Seventeen hundred square feet." she replied.

"That's why everything here is big." I said.

"It seems like this house could have four or five bedrooms. But I guess the designers took that away so there will be more space." Evie said.

"That could be. It makes sense." I said.

Evie opened the door leading to the bathroom.

"M, check this out."

I looked past Evie's shoulder and gasped.

"Wow." I said.

The bathroom was set up similar to the bathroom in my dream. Large glass shower, rectangular soaker tub on the left and a large countertop with double sinks with a large rectangular mirror stretched across to meet the length of the countertop on the right. And it was less outdated than the bathrooms in the other homes.

"I can see us having a good time here." I said.

"Indeed." Evie said.

We left the bathroom and noticed another door on the same wall, just a bit farther down. I opened it and laughed.

"E, look at this." I said.

Evie walked up to me and laughed as well.

"Oh that's perfect." she said.

It was a large walk-in closet with lots of storage space.

"Omg, Mal, this is amazing." Evie said as she twirled around.

"Think there's enough space for my clothes?" I asked.

"Of course, baby. This is perfect."

We left and walked to the other end. Along the way, there were a few doors on the walls. Each of them were small closets set up like linen closets. Evie opened the door at the other end of the hallway and we were surprised to see it was the bonus room.

"Oh my god. This is a perfect space for a sewing room." she said.

I smiled as I saw the happiness in Evie's face.

"Sweetness." I said.

"Hmm?" Evie said as she turned to me.

I pulled her into a nice passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" Evie asked.

I shrugged.

"Just wanted to do it." I replied.

"Oh you." Evie said as she blushed a bit.

We walked further in the bonus room and Evie opened a set of double doors that were the closet of the bonus room, while I peeked through the blinds at the window.

"Evie, look at this." I said.

Evie walked over to me as I opened the blinds to reveal the view.

"Oh, wow." Evie said.

It was a view of the harbor not far in the distance.

"That is a great view." I said.

"It sure is." Evie said.

Evie gave me a hug from behind.

"I'm really loving this house." she said.

"Me too." I said.

"Let's look at the downstairs and then the backyard." Evie said.

"After you." I said.

We walked downstairs and checked out the bedrooms and the other bathroom that was between the two bedrooms. Perfect as guest bedrooms. The half bath was located by the kitchen. The floors were hardwood all around, except the stairs, kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms. Bedrooms and stairs are carpet and the kitchen and bathrooms are tiles. We arrived at the back door which was located in a nice size laundry room that had some cabinets and a countertop that would be perfect for folding clothes. Evie let me walk out first and our eyes locked on the amazing backyard. The back door is greeted by a covered porch that's wood and tan in color. We walked down a few steps from the porch and were standing on the ground. There are many soft pebble rocks surrounding the length of the porch that extends outward by about a few feet.

Then after that, is all grass. Evie and I walked along the grass and stopped at a black metal fence that surrounded the backyard up until the house. And Vancouver harbor is seen straight ahead. We leaned on the metal fence, staring out into the harbor where a few boats were seen sailing along the water.

"Oh, imagine the sunsets that'll take place with the view of the water. Oh, it'll be so beautiful." Evie said.

"I know, right? We could get a gazebo and a fire pit and some nice lawn chairs too. This backyard has so much potential." I said.

"What do you think, baby? Could this be the one?" Evie asked.

I turned around and looked at the house.

"I really like this house. It's almost perfect. There's a few things that'll have to be changed right away. We need to add more colored walls and maybe change the flooring in our bedroom. But really, for now, this house will be great. Until the time arrives where we can remodel it." I said.

"I feel the same way, Mal. Although, one thing does worry me." Evie said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"You said that in your dream, we lived on a large piece of land, similar to this one, except your dream home was surrounded by tall trees. Like we were living in a forest. But we're quite a ways from the nearest forest."

She's right. I remember. The house in my dream also wasn't in a neighborhood. There was a body of water, but it wasn't set up like a harbor. It was more like a lake or a large pond. And the land was an acre in size. This land is close to a quarter of an acre. We can remodel this house to my specifications. But the land and the view we can never change. I got on my phone and opened the maps app. I searched for any forest that was nearby. After a minute, I smiled.

"What is it, baby?" Evie asked.

"Sweetness, we're only about thirty minutes away from a forest." I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's northwest. That way." I said as I pointed in that direction.

"But the house is not surrounded by a forest like the house in your dream." Evie said.

"True. But you know...I'm okay with that." I said.

Shocker.

"What? Are-are you sure, Mal?" Evie asked.

I held Evie's hands and looked her in her eyes.

"Evie. After everything bad that has happened. Being spelled, being evil, turning against you and my friends. The school. And then the school hating me and Audrey pushing me past my limits and having to exile from Auradon because of her. I think, since Auradon is surrounded by millions of tall trees, living in a forest would remind me too much of Auradon. Yes, there will be tall trees wherever we go, but, being here, it doesn't remind me of Auradon at all. And I'm perfectly happy living somewhere different than my dream as long as you are by my side. Because you are the focal point, Evie. You're the reason why I even had those dreams. In the end, it was always you." I said.

Some tears were seen running down Evie's cheeks.

"Oh, Mal!" Evie exclaimed as she pulled me into a tight hug.

I smiled as I tightly hugged her back.

"That, what you said, was very beautiful." Evie said.

"I mean it, Evie. With all my heart." I said.

I wiped the tears away from Evie's cheeks and shared a few kisses with her. Our discussion had been made. This is our home. This is where we will spend our lives together. The home where we'll have countless memories in. The home we'll return to after a day of adventure, fun and work. The home we'll live in when we're happily married. Perhaps even the home we'll live in if we decide to raise a child. Those two will be a long ways away. Marriage sooner than a child for sure, but one thing is certain: this house is for us. We walked back inside and met with Kelsey in the kitchen.

"I'd like to make an offer on this house." Evie told her.

"Okay, great! But let me call the seller's agent and see if the price can be negotiated down first. No need to pay more than what you have to." Kelsey said.

With her phone, Kelsey called the seller's agent, but the call didn't go anywhere.

"Hmm. No response. It seems he's not available right now. I'll try again later, but I might have to give it a try in the morning." Kelsey said.

"That's okay." Evie said.

"May I have your phone number? After I am able to get a hold of him, I'll let you know what he says." Kelsey said.

"Sure." Evie replied.

Evie wrote down her phone number on a piece of scratch paper Kelsey had.

"Okay, great." Kelsey said.

"Thank you so much for your time today." Evie said.

"Of course, no problem. I'm glad I was able to help you guys. Like I said, I'll call and let you know." Kelsey said.

"Sounds good." Evie said.

We later returned back to the hotel and took a nice nap. Around six at night, we decided to have a nice dinner to celebrate our first step in buying our home. At a nice restaurant, Evie and I sat across from each other at a table that was in a corner of the restaurant. Not many people were there. Such a quiet night for being dinner time. But I wasn't complaining. After receiving our drinks, Evie and I were just waiting on our meal.

"So, Mal." Evie said.

"Yes, Evie?" I asked.

"Hi." Evie said.

"Hi."

"I bet you're excited."

"I am. How about you?" I asked.

"I am too." Evie replied.

"So are you the one that's going to purchase the house?" I asked.

"I think so. I mean, my name is on the loan. So might as well." Evie said.

"Yeah, in my dream, I'm the one who bought the house. But I'm okay with you being the one who does it."

"Are you sure?" Evie asked.

"Couldn't think of anyone better. I love you, Evie."

I love you too, Mal."

A waiter then walked up to us with our plates of food. After we ate, we returned back to the hotel and had a good night's rest. The next morning, sometime after seven thirty, Evie woke up first with a phone call she got from Kelsey. After the call, Evie woke me up.

"M, wake up."

"What?" I groaned.

"I got good news. It's about the house."

Suddenly I felt wide awake as I immediately sat up.

"What is it?"

"I just finished talking to Kelsey. She talked to the seller's agent and told her that they'll sell the house to us for two hundred eighty four thousand dollars." Evie said.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"I know, right?! Seventy one thousand off the original price."

"So what did you say?" I asked.

"I told Kelsey that we'll happily accept that price. Mal, we just got ourselves a house."

I couldn't believe this.

"We got a home? We got a home? Here? In Canada?" I asked.

"Baby, your dream is nearly accomplished. All there's left to do is fill out a bunch of paperwork and do a couple other things, and soon the keys to our new home will be handed to us."

Feeling so much delight, I jumped on top of Evie and started kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Evie laughed as she hugged me.

"I love you, Evie. I love you so much. You know that? You are an incredible woman." I said.

"Aw, thanks, Mal. I love you too." Evie said.

I got off of Evie and sat closely to her.

"That's not all." Evie said.

"Huh?"

"The seller wants to sell quickly. Nothing bad going on. Something about the seller having to move across the country for work. But anyway, since we'll be buying his home, the seller is having the appliances sold with the home as well." Evie said.

"Oh nice. And those are good appliances too." I said.

"Yep. So that's a nice thing."

"We're getting a really good deal on this house." I said.

"We sure are. Kelsey will have a home inspector look over the house tomorrow to see if there are any problems. We'll know in a couple of days the results of that." Evie said.

We sat quietly until I realized something.

"Um, E? What time do you have to be in at work?" I asked.

"Nine thirty." Evie replied.

I looked at my phone and saw it was nearly eight.

"It's almost eight." I said.

It then hit Evie.

"Shit! I gotta get going!" she exclaimed.

I laughed at Evie's sudden curse word and helped her get ready for her day at work. At eight forty five, Evie was all ready. After she ate, she put her jacket on and grabbed the car keys.

"Remind me when I get back to extend the nights we'll be spending here. We're going to be needing at least another couple weeks here." Evie said.

"Will we have enough money after that?" I asked.

"Yeah. Besides, I'll get paid next Tuesday, so we'll be okay. Don't worry about it, baby. Okay? I love you." Evie said.

"I love you too, E. Bye." I said.

We gave each other a french kiss before Evie left.

Fast forwarding a little bit to Saturday, we went to Kelsey's office to begin the process of buying our house.

"First thing, I got the report back on the home inspection. And everything is fine. The house has been very well taken care of so after you buy it, there should be no unforeseen problems. This process should be very smooth." Kesley said.

"Well that's good." Evie said.

We spent a few hours there discussing about the house and signing some paperwork. Evie told Kelsey about her loan she was approved for. I didn't know much else that happened because I was in the entrance of the realtor building, sort of bored out of my mind. This part is Evie's speciality. And I'll leave that to her. Evie later came and woke me up from a light nap I was taking on a sofa.

"Let's go, baby." she said.

For the next week, Evie had to read and sign a bunch more documents. Our loan was approved to be used on the house. Evie went to a bank and opened an account since it was a requirement. And about two weeks after the last document was signed, finalization of the legal ownership being transferred from the seller to Evie was made. And Evie became the legal owner of the house. But surprisingly not just her. While she was at Kelsey's office one day, she was able to get me to be the co-owner of the house, so therefore, legally, it's our house.

We told Carlos and the rest of our family about what has been going on, and they were very happy for us. I never mentioned this before, but Jay does keep his promise on talking to me occasionally. He's a good brother. And I'm excited for the time we can have them over.

Two days after we been in Vancouver for a month, the sale closed and we were given the keys to the house. Kelsey got us a gift basket that had snacks, a couple gift cards, one was to a restaurant and another to a home building store, and a bottle of champagne. We thanked her for everything and she wished us well on our new home.

The same day we were handed the keys, we rented a pick up truck and went to a furniture store and bought a queen bed along with a mattress and box spring as well a comforter set that we got to pick out for free for buying an expensive bed, a kitchen table and two chairs, a cozy couch and a coffee table along with some other small things. It was a pain in the ass for us to unload all that stuff from the truck, but we did it. Luckily the bed's parts were in boxes. Therefore, it allowed us to easily take it up the stairs.

It took a lot out of us. And it was a bigger pain since we had to assemble the bed ourselves, but it was only the thought that was the pain. The bed came with tools, so putting it together between the two of us was really a breeze. Attach the side rails onto the headboard, attach all that to the foot board, and attach the slats and that was it. After putting the box spring and mattress on, we decorated our bed with the comforter set and our bed was complete. We couldn't decide what colors to have for the bed, but we set eyes on this set that was dark blue and black. Perfect.

We returned the truck, used the car, a different car, since the rental on the first one expired a week ago, to get our stuff from the motel and return the hotel room keys and moved in to our new home. After we had dinner, I was in our bedroom unpacking my clothes from my suitcase, when Evie walked in. My back was turned to her, so I didn't see what she was planning. She let out a relaxing sigh and then I heard her jacket zipper. I turned around and saw her take off her jacket.

"What are you doing? Get those clothes off, Mal." Evie said.

I smiled and softly laughed. I think I was also blushing as well.

"Oh, you sure move fast, Evie. I like where this is going."

Evie smiled and winked at me as she kicked her shoes off. We quickly took our clothes off on the spot and jumped onto the bed, with Evie on top of me and we started kissing each other like crazy. That is the first time we made love in our new home.

It's taken a lot to get here, but my dream of living with Evie in a house in Canada has finally come true. Now, the story could end here. But a few more things happen before one last big event.


	50. Mal's Struggles

_Mal's Struggles_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 8:20 am_]

Evie's POV

Our new home. This is absolutely amazing. After getting up and using the bathroom, I put my nightdress on and walked to the kitchen. This is an exciting moment for me. I can make breakfast. Not just for myself, but for my Mal as well. Before we went to bed last night, we made a quick run to a store and bought over two hundred dollars worth of stuff. Most of it was food to fill our refrigerator, freezer and pantry. The rest were on supplies: dish soap, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, a few small kitchen appliances, some pans, utensils, a few glasses, some plates and bowls. You know, the basic needs to get our home started.

I opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of a dozen eggs along with a package of bacon. I'm going to make us some omelettes. That sounded really good. So I did. I made us a total of six omelettes with some cheese and chopped up bacon bits sprinkled on each of the omelets as they were cooking. After the sixth one was done, I put it on the large plate that had the others and turned off the stove. I quickly washed a couple glasses and put them aside as I stood in front of the open refrigerator trying to think what we should have to drink. Should we have orange juice? Maybe milk? Or should I make us some coffee?

"Good morning, Evie."

I turned around and saw Mal looking beautiful in her nightdress.

"Hi. Good morning, Mal." I said.

I closed the refrigerator and ran up to Mal, grabbing her and hugging her tightly.

"Whoa, E. Easy." Mal said.

I laughed and let her go.

"Sorry, baby. I'm just happy to see you." I said.

"You say that like you haven't seen me in a long time."

"Yeah. But hey, it's our first morning in our new home." I said.

"It is." Mal said.

We put our arms around each other and had a nice kiss on the lips.

"Oh, baby." I softly moaned.

"What?" Mal asked.

"Oh, nothing. Every kiss feels so good." I said.

"It indeed does." Mal said.

I cleared my throat and showed Mal what I made.

"I made us omelets."

"I see. And they smell good." Mal said.

"Did you wake up to the smell?" I asked.

"I think so." Mal said.

We laughed a little and kissed again. But then Mal looked around and looked worried.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Where are we going to eat?" she asked.

"Well...hmm...umm "

We didn't have anywhere. The dining table and chairs were still unassembled in their box, as well as the coffee table. And the couch was still in its packaging of plastic and shrink wrap. We could eat in our bed, but we've done that many times already back at our former dorm. I looked to my right and saw the window that had a view of the backyard. That gave me an idea.

"Let's eat outside." I said.

"Outside?" Mal asked.

"Yeah! We'll eat on the porch. It's such a beautiful morning out." I said.

Mal looked like she wasn't liking that idea.

"Please, baby? Do it for me?" I asked with a sweet tone.

It didn't take long for a smile to be seen forming on Mal's lips.

"Okay, my princess." Mal happily said.

I love it when she calls me her princess. And sweetness. Mal wanted to drink orange juice so I decided that's what I'll have too. Mal carried the glasses of juice and I carried the large plate of omelettes to the back porch. We sat on the top of the stairs leading to the ground.

"What a beautiful morning." I said after releasing a relaxing sigh.

"I'm glad we're finally here." Mal said.

"Me too. How are you? I bet you feel really happy now." I said.

"I am. I feel more relaxed too."

"Good. Let's eat." I said.

We ate our omelettes together, sometimes feeding each other small bites. After eating, we walked down the stairs, across the large pebbles of rock, and stood on the grass. The grass felt very soft against our bare feet and we held hands as we looked at the harbor.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Mal asked.

"Well, we have a lot of work to do in this house. But I was thinking, let's start with something easy. Let's get some paint and give the inside of this house some color. But what colors should we get?" I asked.

"I got some ideas." Mal said.

"I'll let you lead the way."

Mal pulled me along as she scurried back to the porch. I could tell she's excited, and I love seeing her excited. I grabbed the empty plate and glasses and followed her back inside to the kitchen. I put the plate and glasses on the counter and followed Mal as she was explaining her ideas.

"Here in the dining area, I think one wall should be gray to serve as an accent wall." Mal said.

"Gray?" I asked.

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"A lot of contemporary homes have gray colors." Mal said.

"Oh, okay. Then I'm alright with that." I said.

Mal grabbed my hand and took me to the living room.

"I'm thinking the living room should be a brighter white than this." Mal said.

"Yeah, this is more like a cream white. Okay. What else?" I asked.

"The two bedrooms and bathrooms on this floor are fine for now. But let's go upstairs." Mal said.

I followed Mal up the stairs and we went right to the bonus room which will soon be my sewing room.

"What shade of blue should we go with?" Mal asked.

"You're asking me?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. This is your room. You choose." Mal replied.

I sighed and looked around with my hands on my hips.

"I love it when you pose like that." Mal said.

"Quiet, I'm thinking." I said with a smile.

What shade of blue should I go with? I wear dark blue a lot, but occasionally light blue. However, the nightdress I wear is dark blue. So maybe I should go with a dark blue?

Midnight blue? Or maybe lapis blue? Or should I go with a lighter shade like azure? "Gosh, I don't know." I said.

Mal laughed and gave me a comforting hug.

"I know you'll have it figured out." she said.

"Yeah." I said.

Mal grabbed my hand and led me to our bedroom.

"Now this is where I don't know what to choose. I was thinking it could be a combination of purple and blue, but I'm not sure how that would work." Mal said.

"How was it in your dream?" I asked.

"There was one blue accent wall. But I can't remember what else. I need my sketchbook." Mal said.

As Mal walked over to her suitcase to dig out her sketchbook, my phone started ringing. I looked at it and saw it was Gabi.

"Who is it?" Mal asked.

"It's Gabi."

"Why would she call you on your day off?"

"I don't know. Hold on."

As I was also wondering why she would call me today, I picked up the phone and answered it. After exchanging greetings and how are you, Gabi asked if I can come in as soon as possible. The design manager of one of the teams called out sick and the design room was becoming a "disaster", as she put it. And since I'm good at fashion, Gabi thought I would be the perfect candidate to cover. She also said she felt bad about asking me to come in on a day off, but she'll pay me a little extra.

I looked at Mal, wondering if I should or not. But Mal nodded yes.

"Are you sure?" I whispered to her.

"Absolutely. I'll continue unpacking and and will build our furniture. Remember, you're going to get extra money. So go for it." Mal whispered back.

I smiled at her and told Gabi I'll be there as quickly as I can. After hanging up, I went to the bathroom to get myself ready. Mal picked out an outfit for me and pretty soon I was dressed and looking pretty.

"I'd ask if you're going to be alright, but I know you will." I said.

"I will. Have a good day, sweetness." Mal said.

"Thanks, baby."

After a few kisses, I was out the door.

Mal's POV

Now it's just me. I gazed at the living room and part of the dining room and kitchen and sighed. There's a lot to do still. But I know in time, this home will be similar to the one in my dream. But maybe I can speed that time up a bit.

I ran back to the bedroom, back to my suitcase, and dug out my spellbook. It's been quite awhile since I used magic and I'm excited to see what it can do around here. I can't do really big magic, but maybe something small like changing the color of the walls. Yeah, I'll start with that. With my spellbook in hand, I returned back to the living room and stood in the center of the room, flipping through the pages until I found a spell worth trying. I walked into the dining room and stood in front of the wall that I thought about making it gray. I read the spell aloud and waved my right finger and lastly pointing it at the wall after I finished reading the spell.

Excited to see a new gray wall, I looked up, but got quite a shock. The wall didn't change at all.

"What?"

I read the spell again, and waved my finger, but nothing happened.

"What the hell?! This doesn't make anysense. Why isn't my magic working?"

Is that spell too big for me? It shouldn't be. Painting walls. How hard is that? I flipped through my book and found an even smaller spell. There's a spell to use to locate someone using a mirror. Quite similar to Evie's magic mirror she used until she gave it up. I walked to our bathroom and looked at a small free standing mirror sitting on the countertop. I picked it up and stared at myself in it.

"Mirror mirror in my hand, locate my Evie in the Canadian land."

Nothing happened..

"What the fuck?!" I exclaimed.

I put the mirror down and walked into the bedroom.

"This-this doesn't make anysense. How? How come I can't use my magic? It should work here! It should work anywhere except the Isle! There's no barrier here! It should work!"

I started to feel intense anxiety, as well as my heart beating faster. I laid in bed, trying to get myself to calm down as I took many deep breaths.

"This doesn't make anysense. This doesn't make anysense."

I kept saying that a lot. Because it really didn't. However I wasn't feeling any better. The thought of me not having my magic and not having Evie by me caused me to believe I was having a panic attack.

"It's okay. It's okay." I kept repeating.

After a few minutes, my heart rate returned to normal and I felt better. However, as I turned myself in bed, I felt an excruciating pain in my head which caused me to bury my head in the pillows and groaned in pain. But luckily the pain went away. But then somehow, before I knew it, I ended up feeling very tired and felt like sleeping. I turned myself around and went to sleep. And I ended up having a weird dream which involved me, Evie and for some reason, Carlos too.

It was a little after sunset, almost dark. And we were at a house here in Canada, but not the house Evie and I bought. And not the houses we looked at either. Not sure where we were, but it was almost dark and it seemed like Evie and I were still house hunting. But it was just me and her. No realtor. No Kelsey. No one but us. It was an okay looking home, but it looked old as it had old wallpaper and floorboards. It looked like it was built in the eighteen hundreds. And the environment or vibe felt bad.

We walked through a hallway leading to the living room. The floor plan of this house was very different. There wasn't much light on throughout the house. Light fixtures were on the walls, and not many on the ceiling. We saw Carlos in the living room, but he wasn't the only one. I saw a dark shadow person run behind him from one doorway to another, disappearing into the other room. And Carlos wasn't his happy self. He was quiet and serious.

I followed Evie to a room that had the backdoor. She opened the door and I followed her down some stairs to a small grassy backyard similar to ours. However, this is where things get a little sketchy. There is a brick wall that surrounds the property. Not very high as I was able to see over it and the ocean was seen beyond the short beach. Evie and I heard a noise which made us turn and look back at the house. Carlos was seen standing at the doorway, leaning against it. And that shadow person was seen running behind him in the doorway from right to left. Now I can't remember what exactly he said, but he said something about parenting like:

"_You both will need to live in this house if you want to be parents._"

Or something like that. But one thing I was certain on, the way he spoke convinced me he was possessed. And it was easy to figure out by who. If we want to be parents, we would have to live in a house with an evil supernatural being? That could be worse than living with my mom again.

For some reason Evie followed me as I jumped over the wall to the beach. I didn't know why, but it quickly made sense. Carlos followed us and after he jumped over the wall, he looked at us with his eyes narrows. That entity was controlling him. I looked at Evie and told her:

"_Evie, we must get Carlos into the ocean so the salt water can lift his possession." _

Evie nodded at me, but then Carlos told us:

"_I can't go in salt water. I'm allergic to it._"

That didn't make anysense. How could someone be allergic to saltwater? Well, I guess it is possible. Swimmer's itch is one thing. But before Evie or I could respond, Carlos grabs Evie and restrains her. Evie screamed as she tried to break free. But Carlos' grip was too strong for her. Normally I would help her, but for some reason, I jumped over the wall and ran back into the house.

"_Where are you?!_" I yelled.

I would never go after something that is more powerful than me without a plan and the right resources. But yet I did. I kept hearing noises throughout the house and I ran to each location where I thought I heard the noise. And after that, I got a glimpse of the shadow being running away to a different area of the house.

"_Coward! Why don't you stand and face me?!_"

I ran into this large old kitchen. Only a few lights were on, which created dark spots in the room. Perfect hiding places for the entity.

"_Yeah. You know I'm after you, don't you?_" I asked.

Glass breaking was heard in the living room. I quickly ran to it and saw the entity running into a bedroom past the living room. I stood in the doorway of the bedroom and stared into the room. I didn't say anything else or even do anything else except walk back outside to where Evie and Carlos were. After I jumped over the wall, I saw Carlos laying on the sand on his stomach and Evie sitting on the sand, but with no emotion on her face.

And that is when I woke up from that horrible dream. I hope to god there won't be a part two. I don't need that crap happening to me. I sat up in the bed, while rubbing my forehead. My headache was gone and I felt fine again. I got off the bed and walked downstairs to the backdoor. I had the urge to go outside. I opened the door and walked to the end of the porch. It was nothing like the backyard in that dream. Except it was grassy. But the water ahead wasn't an ocean, it was a harbor. Plus it was at least a mile away. Not just over a wall or fence. I sighed and felt much better.

I made myself a cup of coffee and returned back upstairs to the bedroom. I opened all the blinds so more sunlight can come in and brighten the room. I took a sip of the coffee and sat the cup on the floor and started unpacking the suitcases. I started with Evie's first. Going back and forth to the closet numerous times. We don't have a dresser, so everything clothing will have to be stored in the closet for the time being. But it's really big, so I think that won't be a problem at all.

Twenty minutes later, I had all of Evie's clothes stored away in the closet except for one pair of pants. That was all that was left.

"Last one."

But little did I know, I was about to make another shocking discovery. After I picked up the jeans, something was heard dropped back into the suitcase. I looked down and gasped.

"Oh my god! She had this?!"

I could not believe my freaking eyes. Evie packed the rock. _The rock. _That little piece that made me...well you know.

"Why the hell does she have this?! And why did she bring it here?!"

After the night we made up, it was never brought up again. I was going to ask her about it when we were packing, but I assumed she got rid of it. Never assume things. That can be a big mistake. And it was a mistake to bring that thing here, Evie. When she gets home, we're going to have a talk. I need to know why she kept it. I'm trying to start a new life and I don't need that in my presence.

But I had thought. Could that thing be what's keeping me from using my magic? But then I quickly realized it couldn't be. There is no way this rock could affect my ability to use magic. It's dark magic dissipated. Gone. It was just an ordinary rock now. Besides, depending where Evie had it when I turned our Auradon money into Canadian dollars and turning our school ids into Canadian ids, it didn't keep me from doing that.

"Whatever, I'll deal with you later." I said to it.

I put it aside and focused on putting my clothes away. We didn't have enough hangers for our tops, so until we get some more, I kept my shirts and stuff folded and placed on some shelves. Within time, I was finished unpacking. I decided to go downstairs to see if I can put together our dining set. The table was easy, just had to attach the feet to the table with some screws. But the chairs were an absolute bitch. So much, I don't feel like talking about it.

However in the end, they turned out nice. The table was big. Seven feet long and three feet wide. Definitely big enough for our entire family. More chairs will be needed of course. I moved on to the coffee table which was a little more complex, but not as much as the chairs. This coffee table was black with two shelves. One at the top of the table and one near the bottom. It didn't look too bad with our gray couch after I removed the plastic packaging from it.

All that took a little over three hours and afterwards, I felt like taking a bath. So I went back upstairs to our bathroom, filled the tub up with water and bubble soap, took off my nightdress, and let myself relax in the soothing warm water.


	51. Leaving The Past Behind

_Leaving The Past Behind_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 5:36 pm_]

Evie's POV

After a long day, I finally returned home. I've always had long shifts, but for some reason, this one really tired me out. It started to rain when I left work and when I crossed the bridge crossing the harbor, it was pouring and people were driving crazy. Like they never seen rain before.

After coming into the house from the garage, I walked into the kitchen and placed my keys, purse and a bag of takeout on the kitchen table. Wait, there's a kitchen table? And chairs? Wow. Mal did a nice job.

"Mal?" I called.

I walked into the foyer, and saw Mal walking out of the hallway to the right of me where the two bedrooms and bathroom are.

"Hi, baby. I'm finally home." I said.

"I see. How was your day?" Mal asked.

"Crazy. Gabi was right. The design room was a complete disaster. Those people didn't know what to do without someone with experience to lead them. It took awhile to get them back on track followed by a lot of trial and error, but eventually things ran smoothly."

"Well, you're the only one I know who can do it." Mal said.

I smiled and put my arms around Mal and kissed her on the top of her head.

"So, I see you put the table and chairs together. And unwrapped the couch. And built the coffee table. I think you're right. Gray would look nice in the dining room with the gray table." I said.

"Yes. But that's not all I did." Mal said.

"Oh? What else?" I asked after letting go of Mal.

"I packed our clothes away in the closet and I also took a nap earlier."

"Yeah? Did you sleep well?" I asked.

Mal didn't immediately respond. Which tells me something's bothering her.

"What's wrong, M?" I asked.

Mal turned around and put her arms around herself.

"Do I tell her?" I heard Mal whisper to herself.

"You know you can tell me anything." I said.

Mal sighed and signaled me to follow her upstairs. She led me to our bedroom and Mal walked over to the open window and rested her arms on the small ledge in front, staring out into the rainy view. I gave her a comforting rub on her back and straightened the fallen nightdress straps near the top of her upper arms.

"I had a bad dream, Evie. And it did not make any sense whatsoever." Mal said which caused me to gasp.

"A bad dream?" I asked.

"Yes."

"What happened? Tell me." I said.

"I don't want to go into much detail. But it involved you and me. And then Carlos." Mal said.

"Carlos? Was he okay?" I asked.

"Physically. But he was possessed by an evil spirit."

"Oh no. Was it just like the dream you had that night after the school carnival?" I asked.

"You remember that?" Mal asked.

"It wasn't the best night for you." I said.

"No. No it wasn't anything like that. You and I were looking at a house near the ocean. Carlos came out of nowhere and I kept seeing a dark person running around the house. I don't remember much of it now. I didn't wake up screaming but I did walk around the house to make sure nothing changed. So it did bother me, just not as much as that dream." Mal explained.

I'm glad Mal told me about the bad dream. But I could sense something else was bothering her.

"Okay. Well, that's good. But, may I ask, is there something else bothering you?"

Mal scoffed.

"Wow, you are good. It seems I can't keep anything from you." she said, unamused.

"I've known you for quite awhile. I know what to look for." I said.

Mal walked over to her suitcase and grabbed something out of it. She faced me with her right hand closed, covering what she grabbed.

"M, what is it?" I asked.

Mal sighed and held out her closed hand.

"You want to explain why you still have this?" Mal asked with some irritation.

I looked at Mal's hand as she opened it and let out a nervous laugh.

"I forgot about that." I said.

"_Clearly._"

Mal was not happy. But there was a reason why I kept the rock. A very significant, close to the heart reason.

"Tell me why you kept it, Evie!" Mal said after I didn't speak.

"I kept it because it has a lot of meaning to me. Yes, it spelled you and turned you evil, thus bringing bad memories, but, in the end, I felt it brought us closer." I said.

Mal scoffed in response.

"I see what you're saying, Evie. But you really need to let go of this thing. I guess it did bring us closer, but this serves as a constant reminder of the pain I put others through and the depression that followed. Not only that, but this was created by my mother. So that's another reminder I don't need. This needs to go." Mal said.

I nodded.

"I understand, Mal. I'll get rid of it, I promise." I said.

"Please do. Because I'm trying to make a better person out myself, and live a better life. And I don't need that around."  
"I'll get rid of it, Mal. I'll throw it into the harbor or take it to a landfill. You'll never see it again." I said.

"Okay. I'm trusting you to do that." Mal said.

"I promise."

Mal handed me the rock and I put it in my jacket pocket. I then held my arms out.

"Hug?" I asked.

Mal softly smiled.

"Sure." she said.

The hug felt really nice.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"It's okay. Just get rid of it, and we'll be okay."

"I will."

After the hug, we had a nice kiss.

"We good?" I asked.

Mal smiled and nodded.

"We're good." she said.

Mal then led me to our closet to show me what she's done.

"All of our clothes are in the closet as you can see." Mal said after she opened the closet door for me.

She did a really nice job. I saw that we need more hangers. So I added that to the mental shopping list I have going on.

"You did a really nice job, baby." I said.

"Thanks. I wish I could've done more, but I can't." Mal said.

"What do you mean?"

Mal grabbed and held my right hand. It was a little cold, but soft. Probably because she was touching the cold window.

"My magic. It doesn't work here." Mal said.

"What?"

"I tried a few spells. Simple little spells. And nothing happens. For some reason...my magic doesn't work here." Mal said.

I felt bad for Mal as I saw the hurt in her eyes from it. I gave her a comforting hug and had her sit with me on our bed.

"I don't understand. There's no barrier around here. I should be able to use all the magic I want." Mal said.

I wasn't trying to understand how Mal's magic wouldn't work here. Instead, I was seeing a reason why it won't work.

"Watch, I'll try a spell right now." Mal said.

She got off the bed to get her spellbook off the floor, but I stopped her by grabbing her arm. Mal looked at me confused, while I looked at her with a smile.

"It's okay. I believe you, M. And I think it's a good thing your magic won't work here." I said.

"Huh?!" Mal exclaimed.

"Well, you said you're trying to be a different, better person. Living a better life. And if that's so, you don't need magic anymore. I don't have it, and now, neither do you. And it's okay that it's gone. It doesn't make you who you are. And it won't make me love you any less. I never loved you because of your magic. I love you for who you are. You having magic, was just a little bonus. But now, we are where we're supposed to be. We have a home, and enough income to support us. It's up to us to fill in the little blanks on what we still need. Our own car, furniture, decor, and eventually a remodel. After that, we'll move on to whatever will be the next thing. And we won't need magic for that."

Mal looked at me with an angry expression, but she quickly calmed herself.

"Wow. Well, you're right, Evie. You're absolutely right. I used my magic to get us here, and after it did, it served its purpose and went away." Mal said.

"That's what I'm thinking." I said.

Mal returned back to the bed and sat closely next to me.

"Besides, have you noticed something different about me lately?" I asked.

"Um, no. I don't think so. What do you mean?" Mal asked.

"I'll show you." I replied.

I unzipped my jacket and took it off, revealing a black and dark blue stylish shirt. I then pulled my shirt off me and left my black bra on.

"You're still the same size." Mal said.

I softly laughed.

"No, not that, silly. Look above them." I said.

Mal quickly realized it.

"The scar. It's gone." she said.

I smiled and nodded.

"Wow. I didn't even notice."

"Remember when you said "as long as it's there, I will always be bothered by it."? Well, you have nothing to be worried about or be bothered by anymore. It's gone. And it'll never come back." I said.

"Thank goodness." Mal said.

"And I'll get rid of that rock and then there will be no memories of that event around here. You'll have nothing bad to worry about. And I believe you won't have anymore of those kinds of dreams, feelings of depression and sadness relating to it ever again."

"I believe so too. That rock is the key to me leaving the past behind me, forever." Mal said.

"Indeed." I said.

We smiled at each other for a moment before having a small kissing session.

"Okay, baby. I got us some dinner." I said after a kiss.

"Really? What did you get?" Mal asked.

"Chinese food." I said.

"Nice!"

"Let's go eat."

I quickly changed into my nightdress and Mal helped set up the table for our first meal at our new table. It was a nice dinner. I told Mal I noticed something about her. Her hair was getting longer and I liked it. Mal said she's going to keep it long from now on.

After dinner, we got ourselves ready for bed and had a little sex before we both fell asleep. However, at four in the morning, I got up and quietly got myself dressed. After I was dressed and ready, I put my jacket on and reached in one of the pockets and pulled out the rock. I stared at it before putting it back away. I walked downstairs to the kitchen, grabbed the car keys, and quickly, but yet quietly as possible, left the house. Luckily our bedroom was on the second floor, opposite side where the garage is. Therefore the garage door opener wouldn't wake up Mal.

I arrived at a large shipdock not far from where our yacht is stored around five. I don't know how I got this idea, but when Mal and I were eating dinner, I thought of it. My plan is to sneak the rock onto a ship that is going to travel far away. The farther, the better. It was dark and cold out, but I didn't care. I parked the car in a parking lot not far from the entrance into the yard. At the entrance was a security barrier arm with a small building by it. Trespassing is something Mal has done more than me, so I'm going to have to do my best. One goal is to not get caught.

The night sky gave me an advantage. Seeing no vehicles on the road, I ran on the road and hid behind some large bushes after I got a closer view of the small building. The blinds were open and one security guard was inside. I smirked as I saw the guard distracted on his phone. Seeing this as an opportunity, I ran as quickly as I could up to the building and leaned myself near the ground and against the building. I slowly walked past the building as I was almost crawling on the ground. I sighed as I resumed running away from the security checkpoint.

I was amazed by the amount of massive cargo containers. But as I got closer to where the ships were, I saw a problem.

"How am I going to sneak a rock onto a ship with all those people around?" I asked myself.

The easiest way would be to just throw the rock onto the ship. If someone finds it and throws it into the water, oh well. At least it will be out of my possession. A loud ship horn scared me and almost made me scream, but I covered my mouth and was relieved when the sound of crashing metal was heard instead of me. In fact, metal sounds, the sounds of ships, sea gulls, and vehicles were heard constantly. Along with occasional sounds of that beeping noise when a truck backs up.

After walking through a row of cargo containers, I peeked around the corner of one and saw a group of workers, luckily with their backs turned to me, talking about a certain ship that was scheduled to depart to Osaka, Japan at six. I looked at my phone and saw it was five thirty four. Perfect. That's the ship the rock will be on. That's a distance of almost five thousand miles. And I believe that's the farthest distance I can make the rock go. After listening to the workers more, I was able to find out which ship it was.

I made my way to the other end of the place and set eyes on the ship. It was a very large cargo ship. And no one was around. Probably because it was ready to leave. Taking extreme caution, I walked closer to the ship and pulled the rock out of my pocket.

"Goodbye rock. You have caused me and my family enough pain. Especially to Mal. No longer will you bring pain to us and may you be gone forever." I said to it.

I saw a wide opening between two rows of containers and aimed the rock at it. And with all my might, I threw the rock and watched as it flew into the air and saw it land onto the ship.

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

The rock is on the ship. And now, it's time for me to take my leave. As I made my way back, I felt happiness and relief. The source of our pain is gone. And not only in my mind, but also in my heart, I believe that now there will be only happiness in our lives from now on.


	52. Fish And Money

_Fish And Money_

_[Mal and Evie's home. 12:16 pm_]

Evie's POV

Later that morning, I told Mal what I did and she felt happy and relieved. Later that day, we brought in all our stuff that was stored in our yacht from Auradon and were now completely moved in. And for the next few days, Mal worked on getting our home to feel more like home while I was at work.

We skip ahead to my next day off from work. It's Saturday, and Mal and I have been taking it easy. I was in our bathroom, laying in the tub enjoying a nice, relaxing bubble bath. I was in there for a good twenty, twenty five minutes, until Mal came running in.

"Evie! Evie!"

I opened my eyes to see an excited Mal.

"Yes, Mal?"

"Guess what? I found a way to make us some more money." Mal said.

"Yeah? How's that?" I asked.

"Fishing."

"Fishing?"

"Yeah! There's a crap load of tuna fish passing Vancouver Island. I think they're migrating. Anyway, it started when we first arrived here, but since it's still summer, we can take advantage of it." Mal said.

"Mal, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying we need to get aboard our yacht and get to the waters near Vancouver Island and catch a tuna."

"Why?"

"So we can sell it! Fishing markets are paying top dollar for them. If we can catch one and sell it, we can make a lot of money. Money we can use for the house."

I sat up in the tub and pulled the drain stopper.

"I see. Earning money to make this house like it was in your dream is your next little mission, isn't it?" I asked.

"It is." Mal replied.

"Well, I find that really sweet." I said.

As I stood up, Mal grabbed a towel for me and helped me out of the tub, then wrapped the towel around me.

"Is that something you want to do today?" I asked.

"If that's alright. I mean, I guess I got a little too excited. We don't have to do it today." Mal said.

I smiled at Mal and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"I'm alright with it. Hey, I don't have anything else planned for today other than to spend my day with you." I said.

That brought a warm feeling to Mal.

"Thanks, E. You know, this is a good time to wear our bikinis again." she said.

I laughed.

"Yeah, it is. Let's do it."

"Alright."

I dried myself off while Mal grabbed our bikinis from the closet. We wore regular pants and shirts over them. After putting our jackets on, some makeup, and our shoes, we were ready. We had a quick snack in the kitchen before I grabbed the yacht keys and the car keys from a key holder that Mal mounted on the wall for us, and we walked to the garage. I tossed Mal the keys so she could drive. After locking up the house, we were on our way. However, as Mal was driving, I realized something.

"M?"

"Yes, E?"

"I don't think the yacht has any fishing gear aboard." I said.

"Oh crap. Then we'll need to get some. If you're okay with spending the money." Mal said.

"I am."

And I was. There are many things Mal and I have yet to try. This isn't going to be the first time we ever fished though. We, along with Carlos and Jay, fished some times back on the Isle. Except it was only with a stick, a string, a small hook that was made from a wire or a paper clip, whatever we could find, and lastly worms. And worms creep me out. Eww. But whenever we caught some fish, we fried them up and ate them. One of the few good meals we had living on the Isle.

"Evie?"

I was reminiscing about that before Mal snapped me from it.

"I'm sorry, Mal. You were saying something, weren't you?" I asked.

"Yes. Can you give me directions to a fishing store or a store that sells fishing stuff?"

"Of course."

I directed Mal to a nearby sports store that sells fishing gear along with other types of sports stuff. We walked to the fishing section and saw the massive amounts of fishing poles and bait to choose from.

"Okay..so..what should we get?" Mal asked.

At the end of a shelf, I noticed a small booklet attached to the shelf by a zip tie. It contained information about lots of different kinds of fish and what bait is needed to attract them.

"Let's look in here." I said.

Mal walked up behind me and put her arms around me with her head rested on my left shoulder as I flipped through the book to find info about tuna fish.

"Gosh, you look bangin'." Mal said.

"Mal! Focus." I said while secretly liking the compliment.

I continued to flip through the book until I saw info about tuna.

"Okay, here we go." I said.

Mal leaned in closer as we both read the info together. After several minutes of reading, we got what we needed to know and proceeded to buy what we needed. We talked to an employee for a little bit and got some more information. And we left the store with the perfect fishing pole, the right kind of bait, and some information especially tips on what to do when we do catch a fish.

Mal's POV

We arrived at our yacht forty minutes later with all that we needed. Evie picked us up some food along the way cause who knows how long we will be gone for?

After being in the waters near the islands, Evie stopped the boat and met me in the cabin. I took my jacket off before Evie took hers off. We then took off our shoes, pants and shirt and were left wearing only our bikinis.

"Oh, it feels so nice to be back on our boat again." Evie said as she stretched herself across the couch.

I felt a little turned on by Evie's sexy body. And without thinking twice, I laid on top of her with no warning to her.

"Oh, Evie. You're so hot." I said.

"Yeah? Is my body turning you on?" Evie asked.

"I think so." I moaned.

The kiss we then shared was magnificent. Then another kiss, followed by many more. I slid my hands under Evie's bikini top and felt the skin underneath. After one last kiss, I lifted Evie's top a little off her to expose her breasts.

"Oh, I could play with your body all day long." I said.

"You're going to do that or are we going to try and catch a fish?" Evie asked with a serious tone.

"Catch a fish, geez." I said, not realizing Evie was only playing around.

I got off Evie and stood up.

"I'm only messing with you, baby." she said.

"You were?" I asked.

"Of course! I love it when you feel me. But for now, let's focus on catching a fish that'll get us a lot of money, okay?"

"Okay, Evie!"

Evie grabbed my hand as I offered to pull her up. She readjusted the bikini top on her to its correct place and followed me out to the stern of the boat. After preparing the fishing rod with an attached hook and live bait, I cast the line out into the water.

"This is going to take awhile, isn't it?" I asked.

"You need to have patience, Mal. Remember when we fished on the Isle?" Evie asked.

"Yeah, I remember."

After a few minutes of waiting, on the stern guardrail by me, there was a fishing rod holder attached. I slid the pole into the holder and stood close by it on standby. Ready for a biting fish.

"Would you like to eat?" Evie asked.

I turned around and saw her holding a wrapped sandwich up to me.

"Sure." I said, gracefully taking it.

Evie sat on the edge of the stern, with her bare feet in the water. She looked at me and patted next to her, inviting me to sit next to her. I smiled and happily sat next to her with my feet in the water as well. We ate our sandwiches together, while looking out into the watery view. After eating, Evie put her arms around me, pulling me into a nice kiss.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too." Evie said.

We continued to wait and wait. It sucks when you have to wait for a long time. One fish. That's all I'm asking for. Just one fish for a little extra money. Am I asking too much? After another minute of waiting, which felt like forever, I groaned loudly. Wanting to do something, but there's really nothing to do except to stay in the area and keep hoping to get a bite. But as I readjusted myself on the floor, the reel was heard spinning.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed.

I quickly got up and ran to the pole, grabbing a hold of the fishing pole from it's holder.

"You got a fish!" Evie said as she ran up to me.

"Yes! And by the tension I'm feeling on this thing, I think it's a big fish." I said.

"Tuna?"

"Possibly."

I began doing what Evie and I read. I angled the rod and tipped it a bit to balance out the pressure between the fish and the rod. I then let the fish swim out a bit before I began reeling it in.

"Oh yeah, it's a big fish!" I said.

"You're doing great, baby. Keep reeling. Nice and steady." Evie said.

She rubbed my shoulders a bit to keep me calm. I reeled the fish in everytime it stopped swimming outward. This fish was tough and persistent though. It kept swimming outward, but I'm persistent too. After a few minutes of struggle and fighting, I soon was able to set eyes upon it ahead.

"It is a tuna!" Evie said.

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

My hands were really hurting now. But I must not give up.

"This fish...will be mine. I'm not giving up. I'm not giving up." I said.

"He's getting closer. He's almost ours." Evie said.

"Evie, get the rope. He's ours." I said.

Evie nodded and grabbed the rope that was nearby.

"I got him! He's coming!" I said.

"I'm ready, baby." Evie said.

Evie got herself in position as she watched me reel the tuna fish in closer and closer.

"Almost there." I said.

"Just a little closer, Mal."

After a minute, I was able to get the tuna right up to the boat.

"Now, Evie!" I said.

Evie nodded and was quickly able to wrap the rope around the tuna's tail and secure it. As Evie was doing that, I grabbed the harpoon stick and stabbed the fish.

"Big fish, Evie! Big fish!" I yelled.

Evie squealed in excitement. We both jumped up and down with loads of excitement.

"Nice job, Mal." Evie said.

"Thanks. Now let's get him aboard." I said.

Easier said than done. We stood at the edge of the stern and grabbed the fish's tail, planning to pull it in. But damn, this guy was heavy.

"Come on, Evie! Pull!" I said.

"I'm trying!" Evie said.

But just as we were starting to pull the fish in, a splash of water was heard nearby. A group of three large sharks were swimming around us. I looked past the tuna and saw blood in the water around it.

"Shit. Nope! Nope! Too late, sharks! This is my catch!" I said.

Evie and I pulled hard to bring the fish in, but the sharks were bringing in feelings of stress. But I'm not about to give in. This fish is mine as I said before.

"Come on, Evie. I know this fish is heavy, but we must get it aboard. I know we can. Together, we can do anything." I said.

"I agree with you completely, Mal. Let's go." Evie said.

We smiled and nodded at each other before tightening our grip on the fish's tail. We then gave everything we had in pulling it in. We grunted loudly as the fish was slowly, then fastly pulled aboard the boat. After the fish was in, Evie and I fell to the floor and breathed heavily in exhaustion.

"Oh my god." Evie said.

"I feel my heart racing." I said.

"Me too."

I looked past the fish and saw the sharks swimming away.

"Ha! Too slow, motherfuckers!" I yelled at the sharks.

"Mal, that's not nice." Evie said while lightly hitting me in the arm.

"What? It's not like they can understand me."

"True. Anyway, you were great, Mal. Maybe fishing should be a hobby for you."

"We'll see. But first, let's take this guy in and see how much he's worth." I said.

"Of course. But can we rest for a minute?" Evie asked.

"Of course. As long as you would like." I said.

I moved myself closer to Evie on the floor and held her close to me.

"Hi, sweetness." I whispered.

"Hi, baby." Evie whispered back.

"You look beautiful."

"So do you."

I cupped her cheeks in my hands and began to kiss her. I wanted another kissing session, but it didn't last long, as Evie backed out during the middle of a kiss.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Evie didn't respond except she continued to look in the direction behind me. I turned myself around and saw the dead fish looking right at us.

"Oh." I said.

I instantly got what was bothering Evie. Yeah, I guess I wouldn't want to make love in front of a dead fish either. Big turn off.

"We'll continue this later." I said.

Evie smiled and nodded.

"But would you like to take a picture?" I asked.

"Of the fish?" Evie asked.

"That and us, and us with the fish." I replied.

"Sure." Evie said with a smile.

Evie ran to the cabin and returned back with her phone. First she took a picture of the fish, and then a selfie of us with the water as the background, and lastly a selfie of us with the fish.

"The pictures look great." I said as I was reviewing them.

"They are. Later I'll send them to our family." Evie said.

"They'll love it. But another thing you should do is get some of these photos of us and our family printed out and then framed. So we can hang them on the wall of our home." I said.

"I know. And I'm going to do that. I plan on doing that real soon." Evie said.

"Nice. Well, I was able to locate a fishing market earlier, so I know exactly where to take this guy. Are you ready to see how much we can get for it?" I asked.

"I am." Evie happily replied.

We went back down to the cabin to put our clothes back on, then we went to the bridge so Evie can take us to the fishing market I located. Once we were near the shore, it wasn't too far away.

As we stopped our yacht at a pier at the fishing market, a man approached us.

"Hello. How can I help you ladies?" he asked.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Dave. I'm the manager here." the man repled.

"Okay, Dave. We got a tuna for you." I said as I pointed out the tuna to him.

"Looks like a nice one. You two caught that yourselves?" Dave asked.

"We did." I replied.

"Impressive. Rarely do I see women catch tuna around here themselves. They usually have a guy or two with them."

"Well, it's just me and her. It wasn't easy, but we did it. I'm Mal, and she's Evie."

"Nice to meet you. Well, like I said, this looks like a nice one."

Dave pulled out a tape measure from his pocket.

"Good length. Fifty four inches. Let's weigh it and see what we got." Dave said.

"Sounds good." I said.

Dave grabbed a nearby rope and wrapped it around the tuna's tail. He then walked up to an upper pier nearby that was close to an open large warehouse building. The other end of the rope was attached to a small crane that lifted the fish out of our boat.

"Come on up here and I'll tell you the weight of it in a moment." Dave said.

Evie and I met Dave by the warehouse the same way he went. But as soon as we saw the fish, Evie quickly looked away and covered her eyes with her hands. Dave was cutting the fish's head off with a saw. Then he cut the tail off.

"Okay, let's see how much he weighs." Dave said as he wrapped another rope around the body of the fish.

"It's okay, Evie. You can look now." I whispered to her.

Evie uncovered her eyes and saw the body of the fish lifted up by a crane with a small scale attached to it. But Evie saw the head and the tail laying on the floor first.

"That's really not any better." she whispered.

"Nice. A hundred and thirty six pounds. That's a nice little tuna you got." Dave said.

"Little? That thing is a monster." Evie said.

"Yes. But this is a young bluefin tuna. Four and a half feet long. Adults grow up to twelve feet. Maybe more and weighing fifteen hundred pounds. You girls were lucky to catch this one." the fishing manager said.

"True that. Imagine if we caught a full grown tuna, we would never get it in the boat. In fact, I don't think I would be able to even reel it in." I said.

Dave lowered the body of the fish back down and cut a section out and we followed him to a table away from the rest of the fish.

"So what are you doing now?" Evie asked.

"Checking the quality of the fish. Fish that have a nice color, lots of fat and oil will sell nicely. And your fish has good fat and color and is really oily. This is a really nice fish." he replied.

"Yeah? So, how much for it?" I asked.

Dave studied the fish a bit more, then smiled at us.

"You ladies have brought a truly nice fish. It's one of the smallest we've received, but it is a nice one. So I'll give you...fifteen dollars a pound for it." he said.

He grabbed a calculator nearby and did some math.

"Hundred thirty six times fifteen is...two thousand forty dollars."

Ka-ching.

"Awesome!" I said.

"Thank you so much." Evie said.

"You're welcome. I look forward to doing business with you both again sometime." Dave said.

"We don't know if we'll fish for big ones again, but you never know." Evie smiled.

We were soon handed a check and began to walk back to our yacht. But as we were close to the steps leading down to the lower pier, I saw our tuna's head, which instantly gave me a cheeky idea.

"M, what are you doing?" Evie asked as she saw me run for it.

I grabbed the fish's head and ran up to Evie with it. Evie let out a short scream as I put it up to her.

"Oh, Evie. I'm so sad. Where's my body going?" I said, moving the head, pretending the fish's head was talking instead.

"Mal, what the hell are you doing? You can't be playing with that." Evie said, while waving her hands away at me and looking quite disgusted.

"Well, yeah, I know. But just thought up this thing and well…"

I couldn't think of anything else except move the fish's head around again at Evie while making little babbling noises. I thought this was funny, but I could see Evie did not, and was still quite disgusted by it.

"Alright, fine. Let's just go." I said.

I dropped the fish's head and we boarded our yacht and took off. Since I did what I did, Evie told me to wash my hands really well. I asked if she was disappointed. She said no and to just really wash my hands and we'll be good.

After I finished cleaning myself up, I joined Evie back at the bridge.

"Wasn't that fun though?" I asked Evie.

"It was, Mal. It truly was. So, what do you plan on using this money for?" Evie asked.

"I was thinking it was time we get our own car." I said.

Evie put her arms around me and pulled me into a nice kiss.

"I like the way you think, baby."

I smiled and kissed her once more. We docked the yacht and locked it up before heading back to the car. It was a nice ride on the way home. Evie is a really good driver, like myself. But as we stopped at a traffic light, I heard Evie groan to herself.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Gas." she replied.

"Oh, it must be that sandwich you ate earlier." I said.

"Not my belly, the car! I need to fill it up."

"Ohh." I said.

Evie quietly laughed to herself as we were on our way again. But along our way, I noticed a large electronic billboard sign that got my attention. It said that a lottery drawing for two million dollars was happening tonight.

"Hey, E." I said.

"Yeah, M?"

"Let's get a lottery ticket."

"A lottery ticket?"

"Yeah! I just saw a sign that said there will be a drawing for two million dollars tonight." I said.

Evie sighed.

"You know the odds of winning are pretty low. One person against so many others." she said.

"I know. But it'll be worth a try. You know that saying "you can't win if you don't play". So why not?"

Evie smiled.

"Okay. I guess it's worth a shot."

"Yay!"

I leaned over to her and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too."

After arriving at the gas station, Evie paid for the gas at the pump using her debit card, then gave me her card for me to use to buy a ticket. When I walked in the building, I noticed there were tickets and scratch cards. Interested in them, I bought a few scratch cards and a two million dollar lottery ticket. Afterwards, I returned back to Evie, who was waiting for me.

On the way back home, I was anxious to know if any of the cards are winners for major cash as well as the ticket. I've noticed something new about myself and I'm sure Evie has too. I have a little obsession with money, but I do appreciate the value of it and I do plan on putting it to good use. Which I'm also sure Evie sees that as well.

We soon got back home and the first thing we did was take all our clothes off and put on our nightdresses. After that, I got on Evie's computer to see what time tonight the drawing was. We got internet a few days ago, but no tv yet. I went on the website listed on the ticket and soon saw that the drawing was scheduled to happen in a little over an hour. I closed the computer and grabbed the scratch cards, but decided to wait until after the lottery drawing to see if any of them are winners.

Evie sent the pictures we took on the boat to Carlos and the others. And engaged in a long group text. It's always nice talking to them. An hour later, Evie was washing some dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, while I was at the dining table reading a book. I offered to help Evie but she said she was good. I then noticed it was nearly time for the lottery drawing. I closed my book and got up.

"Okay, Evie. I'm going to get online and see what the winning numbers are and see if these scratch tickets are winners as well." I said.

"Alright, you go for it." Evie said.

I walked up to her and gave her a kiss, then I went to the living room and sat on the couch. I smiled as I heard Evie humming to herself as she was drying some dishes. Using a coin, I scratched all the small tickets and discovered none of them are winners.

"Damn it." I said.

Well, that's how it is. I got back on Evie's computer to the lottery website and saw the drawing had already happened. I clicked on the button that said, "reveal winning numbers" and saw the six numbers. I held my ticket up to the screen and got quite a surprise. The numbers were starting to match up. One after another.

"You gotta be kidding me." I said.

When I saw that all the numbers were matched up, I sat back on the couch in disbelief.

"Did we win?" Evie asked as she walked in.

"Um...no. No. We're not winners. No." I said.

"Aw. That's okay. You were right though. It was worth a try." Evie said.

She then returned back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up. Meanwhile I grabbed my phone, and the lottery ticket, and hurried to the bathroom by the foyer and closed the door. I got on the website to confirm the numbers. When I saw them, I kept looking back and forth at the screen and the ticket to verify the numbers matched. And they did.

All six numbers matched. I'm holding the winning ticket. The ticket that was picked randomly out of god only knows how many others. To clarify, I rubbed the ticket around the numbers to make sure there wasn't anything around them like stains. But there was nothing. I didn't misread any of the numbers either. We just won two million dollars.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed.

Evie and I are freaking rich.


	53. Evie's Work Trip

_Evie's Work Trip_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 7:12 pm_]

Mal's POV

A few days have passed since our fishing trip and winning the lottery. I never did tell Evie that day and I'm not sure why I'm keeping it a secret. But I'm getting a strong feeling in my gut to do so. And I'll soon find out a good reason why I should.

But the next day after our trip, we bought our first car. With the money we got from the fish, we used it on a down payment for a nice silver compact car. Naturally Evie wanted a blue car, but this silver car was the perfect price since it was gently used with not very many miles on it. So we settled for it, noting that we can get it painted later. So no more renting a car. Because that took a lot of money from us.

Anyway, remember that last big event I mentioned a little while back? Well, it's going to begin right now. It was shortly after seven at night, and Evie and I were doing a little cleaning in our house on the first floor. I was sweeping, while Evie was vacuuming. But then, as we were about to take a little break, our doorbell rang.

"Now who would be here at this time?" I asked.

"I don't know." Evie replied.

Evie walked up to the door and looked through the peephole.

"Oh my god." she said.

Evie opened the door to reveal her boss Gabi on the other side.

"Gabi! Hi!" Evie said.

"Hi, Evie. I'm so sorry to bother you at this time. But I have something to tell you. May I come in for a moment?" Gabi asked.

"Of course! Come in." Evie said.

After letting Gabi in, Evie closed the door.

"And you couldn't have just given her a call?" I asked Gabi.

"Mal, be nice." Evie said.

Gabi laughed.

"It's okay, Evie. She's right, I probably should have. But I felt this is too big to say over the phone." Gabi said.

"What is it?" Evie asked.

"Well...how do I begin this? Umm…"

Evie smiled and grabbed Gabi's hand.

"Come with us to the living room." Evie said.

"Okay. I'm sorry for arriving unexpectedly. I see I disturbed you from cleaning." Gabi said as we were walking from the foyer to the living room.

"No, it's alright. We were about to rest a little." Evie said.

"So really your timing is perfect." I said.

Evie led Gabi to the couch and they sat next to each other on it, while I sat in the loveseat we got recently nearby.

"So what's up?" Evie asked.

"Well, there is this fashion convention coming up I have been invited to. It's an event where a lot of designers, entrepreneurs, lots of business people participate in. In Paris." Gabi said.

"Paris?" Evie asked.

"In France?" I asked.

"Yes. It's going to happen in a couple weeks and I will be going. It's an event that will last over a few days so I'll be gone for many days." Gabi explained.

"I get it. So you'll need someone to cover for you while you're gone. Gabi, I would be honored to be your substitute until you get back." Evie said.

Gabi softly laughed.

"No, Evie. I already got someone to cover for me." she said.

"Oh." Evie said.

"So then why are you here? Just to tell Evie this?" I asked.

"Yes. But also I want to ask her to join me." Gabi replied.

That got us.

"What?" Evie and I asked at the same time.

Apparently we were amusing Gabi, because she laughed again.

"Yes. Evie, I want you to come along with me to Paris. Afterall, you are my personal assistant. And I can't travel across the world without you." Gabi said.

"You want me to go to Paris with you? Wow. I mean, that would be a bigger honor, but…"

Evie then focused her attention on me.

"How long will we be gone for?" Evie asked while looking at me.

"A week. Seven days." Gabi replied.

"E, what is it?" I asked.

"I can't. I'm sorry, Gabi, but I can't." Evie said, looking back at her.

"Evie." I said.

"Why not?" Gabi asked.

"Because…"

Evie got up and walked over to me and sat closely by me.

"I can't." Evie said.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Evie is saying no to this?

"Evie, what's wrong with you? Don't you realize what you're saying no to? It's a fashion convention. Something that's right up your alley. Imagine all that you could learn from this. And it's in Paris? Evie, you have to go with her. You just have to." I said.

"But, I don't want to leave you for a week. A few days, sure. But not a whole week."

"Evie-"

"Who will take care of you? Who will be here for you? You'll be all alone. And I don't want to do that to you."

"Evie...Yes, I'll be alone. But I'll be fine. I'll be alright. You know I can take care of myself." I said.

"Yes, but-"

"Shhh." I said as I put my hand over Evie's mouth.

I admired the beautiful face in front of me and looked into her brown eyes.

"I want you to go with Gabi. You have a nice boss who's wanting you to join her for a trip to one of the most amazing cities in the world. Think about it. She's giving you an amazing opportunity in your career. Think of all that you can learn from this event." I said.

"Yes!" Gabi said.

"I want you to go and have a great time. I will be perfectly fine. I'm in a warm home with everything I need. Sure I'll miss you dearly, as you will miss me. But I'm telling you, you have nothing to worry about. I will be perfectly alright. You trust me, sweetness?" I asked.

I moved my hand away from Evie and gave her a soft kiss on her right cheek. Evie smiled and nodded. I smiled back and gently made Evie look at Gabi by turning her head.

"Then tell her." I whispered.

Evie got up and sat next to Gabi.

"I'll be happy to join you, Gabi." she said.

"Thank you, Evie. It means a lot to me. I appreciate it." Gabi said.

Evie smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome, Gabi. It will be my pleasure." Evie said.

After Gabi left, we finished our cleaning and got ready for bed. After we brushed our teeth, we changed into our nightdresses, turned off the lights, and cuddled closely in bed.

"I want to reassure you that I will be okay." I said.

"I know you will. I guess I worry about you too much sometimes." Evie said.

"And that's alright. I appreciate your concern for me. I really do. But I just want to tell you that I will be okay because, well, since this will be nothing like it was back in Auradon. Those feelings have not come back since the last time. Probably because I'm actually happy again. But my point is...well, you see…"

I lost my train of thought. Evie smiled and gave me a nice kiss on the lips.

"I get what you're saying, baby. And I love you so much." she said.

"I love you so much as well, E." I said.

"You're a good girl, Mal. I'm not worried at all now. And hey, maybe while I'm gone, you could fix this house up a bit. You know, make it a little nicer by painting some walls and adding some decor. And maybe some more furniture. Don't push yourself. Just do what you feel is right."

What Evie just said got me. When she's gone, I could fix the house up a bit.

"Yeah, okay. Good idea, Evie. You're so smart." I said.

"I know. Now let's get some rest. Sweet dreams, Mal and I love you." Evie said.

"I love you too, Evie. Sweet dreams." I said.

We kissed goodnight and Evie turned over on the bed with her back facing me. I laid on the bed, facing up, looking up into the ceiling. I looked to my left and saw the moonlight peeking through the blinds. That's when I began to have the perfect idea. The perfect plan. The last part of my dream. The missing piece that hasn't come true yet.

Evie going away for a week is perfect. I've been wanting to do something nice for Evie since she's done so many nice things for me. And now, I will have my chance to do the nicest thing I could think of for her. And I know exactly what to do with our winning lottery ticket too. While Evie's away in Paris, I will have the house remodeled to be luxurious like the house in my dreams. Guided by the drawing in my sketchbook.


	54. Remodel Consultation

_Remodel Co__nsultation_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 10:54 am_]

Mal's POV

The next day arrived, and I'm going to begin my secret plan. I want this remodel to be a surprise for Evie when she returns back from her business trip. I was alone in our bedroom while Evie was in the bonus room which will soon be her sewing room. Today is her day off, and she was starting to get her room set up. I looked at my sketchbook at the designs I had drawn up.

"There is a lot that will need to be done. And I will only have a week to get it done." I said to myself.

All bathrooms will need to be updated. As well as the kitchen. Carpets replaced with hardwood, and painted walls. And I think the outside of the house could use a fresh coat as well. But my designs are elaborate and going to be expensive. And this extra money will give me the advantage I will need.

I quietly walked around the house, taking a few notes on other things that will need to be changed as well as taking measurements and drawings. As I was sneaking around, I saw the folder that contained all the paperwork Evie got when she was buying the house. I looked through it and saw a few pages that were the floor plans or blueprints of the house. Containing exact measurements for different areas around the house. Perfect, this will greatly help me. But I can't do this all alone. I will need professional help.

I returned back to our bedroom and got on my phone. A home improvement store is not far away. I will need to go there. Maybe I can go right now? I peeked into Evie's room and saw she was still working in there. I returned back to our bedroom, got dressed, grabbed my sketchbook and started walking out of the bedroom and towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Evie asked from her room.

Shit. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn't think about how to play this out. I quickly put my sketchbook on a step on the stairs to hide it from her.

"I'm just going to go out for a bit. Maybe do a little shopping." I said.

"Okay. Drive safe." Evie said.

"I will."

I gave her a kiss before grabbing my sketchbook and heading out. I hate having to lie to Evie. Especially since she trusts me so much. But if I want this to be a surprise, I'm going to have to lie.

As I was driving on the road leading towards the bridge into the big city, I realized I must present the winning ticket to the lottery office first. The sooner I do this, the sooner I'll get the money. I pulled into a parking lot and got on my phone to get some information. I learned that I first must have identification and the card, and a receipt on when and where I got the card. I got all three with me in my dark purple jacket that I'm wearing right now. I always keep the ticket in my jacket. It's the best place to hide it from Evie. She loves and trusts me so much, she would have no reason to go through it. And if it needed to be washed, she would ask me first.

I located the office and headed right to it. Once I got there, I had to fill out a form, using my fake identification, and had to wait some time along with other people waiting to collect their winning prize. Once I was called up, I did what they called an "interview". They reviewed the form I completed in the lobby, and noticed that I declined the authorization of allowing them to take a photo of me. My win was going to be published on their website along with a photo of me, my name, city of residence and my prize details. I told them that I was trying to keep this a secret from my girlfriend because I have plans with this money to give her a nice surprise.

Evie has ways of flirting, and I have ways of persuasion. After a lot of talking back and forth, I was able to persuade this worker to not take a photo of me. I don't want Evie to know. And if she were to know, I'd prefer that over people asking for money and the media continuously bugging me. I told the worker that this money was going to be used to remodel my home while Evie is in Paris for a business event. Thankfully, the worker approved it. I was told there was a couple who won ten million dollars near the same time I did. And the story of them would be a bigger one than mine. Which is lucky and a relief.

I was sent back to the lobby and waited for about forty five minutes for my check. I decided to receive a lump sum rather than an annuity. Because I don't yet know what the remodel will cost. However, two things I plan on using the money for: the remodel and paying off the mortgage. The remaining money will be used throughout our life. Perhaps even on a wedding when the time comes.

After receiving my check, I went to a bank to open an account of my own to store my money and keep it away from Evie's eyes. Then I made my way to the home improvement store.

I arrived there with my sketchbook in hand. Although when I walked in the massive building, I didn't know where to go. There were so many departments. I grabbed an ad that was near the entrance displayed on a fancy stand. I looked through the few pages and saw there was a sale going on where you could get up to forty percent off select kitchen cabinets, twenty percent off select bathroom vanities, buy one get one half off paint, save up to seventy percent off installation, man, this truly is the perfect time to do this. I looked up towards the ceiling and saw a banner that stated the store's slogan: do it right for less. And they seem to be living up to that.

I headed to the kitchen department and talked to a worker named Nick. He was very impressed by my drawings. He told me I have great potential for being a drafter. I thanked him and we looked over the drawings and the floor plan of the kitchen I drew up. And with that, he made a model of the kitchen I drew on his computer. He then showed me cabinets and countertops that were close to the ones I wanted. After selecting them, I was shown a sample of a nice marble countertop. And it was perfect.

As Nick was reconfiguring the model of the kitchen I have now to the new kitchen I will have so I can see what it will look like, I felt my phone ringing in my pants pocket. I took it out and saw it was Evie. Oh no. I've been gone too long and now she's worried. What do I say? I have to accept the call. I don't want to worry her more. I excused myself and accepted the call.

"Hi, Evie." I greeted.

"_Mal? Where are you? You've been gone for some time._"

"I know. I'm...out shopping." I said as I walked down an aisle that had kitchen cabinets already built in boxes.

"_Shopping for what?_" Evie asked.

I really hate lying to Evie, but I have to.

"Well, I'm not really buying anything right now. I'm just browsing, that's all."

That part is true.

"_Okay. I just want to call and see if you're okay. I'm alright with you going out. But I still worry about you, you know?_"

"I do. And I appreciate that. I love you, Evie." I said.

"_I love you too, Mal. Please be home before dark, okay?_"

"I will."

"_Okay. Bye._"

"Bye."

I held my phone up to my chest and sighed heavily. I believe she bought it. I put my phone away and walked back to the desk where Nick was.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes. Although I didn't tell you that this remodel is going to be a surprise for my girlfriend. She's going to be in Paris for a week for a business trip, and I want to surprise her with this remodel when she returns back." I said.

"That's very nice. I'm sure she will love what you are doing." Nick said.

"I'm sure too. She'll leave in two weeks. Will that be enough time to get everything ready by then?" I asked.

"I believe so. And to remodel your kitchen and bathrooms won't be any longer than a week either. I think everything will fit in your schedule." Nick replied.

"That's good." I said as I sat in the chair across the desk.

"I finished the new model. This is what your kitchen will look like."

Nick turned his computer monitor around and showed me the new layout and look of the kitchen. And it looked magnificent.

"Oh she will love that for sure. And I love that. Let's do that." I said.

"Excellent. Now, do you want new flooring as well? I think it stated that in your drawings." Nick said.

"Yes!" I said.

I looked at a drawing of the kitchen in my book and saw that I noted white flooring. But I think I'm going to go with light gray flooring. Add a little more darkness to the floors. I told Nick what I want and he showed me some samples of light gray flooring. I selected the one I liked the most and he updated the model. We went over some smaller details like storage options and door handles, and then one last big thing which was a kitchen island. And after everything was covered, Nick updated the model one more time and showed me the perfect kitchen for me and Evie.

"Oh my god. Yes!" I said.

"Perfect?" Nick asked.

"Perfect." I replied.

Absolutely perfect. Nick printed out a picture of the model as well as some other information about the kitchen. Style of cabinets, floors and prices. The price of the kitchen remodel was totaled to be just over twenty eight thousand dollars. A price that will be totally worth it.

Nick led me to the bathroom department to do the same thing as we did with the kitchen. Another worker, Andrew, rendered a model of what the new guest bathrooms will look like. Very simple. Not a lot of change. Just updating in there. But the master bath will be more in materials and price. But like I said, worth it. The style and colors from the kitchen will be used in the bathrooms. Because when you are remodeling a house or even building a house, you want the kitchen and bathroom to have the same style.

After choosing everything that was close to the bathroom in my drawings, that includes the vanity, shower, and tub, the cost of that will be around eighteen thousand dollars. Oh, I am so excited. Andrew printed out the info for me and put that and the kitchen info in a folder. One that I will have to keep out of Evie's sight. After I was asked if there was anything else that can be done for me, I said yes. There is more to the kitchen and bathroom remodel. I told Andrew that I want new flooring around the house, as well as new paint, and different little odds and ends.

He took me to the flooring department. The flooring guy was on a lunch break, so Andrew helped me with it himself. I showed him the floor plans of the house and that greatly helped with the cost and how much flooring I'll need. I looked at the different types of hardwood flooring. There's going to be a lot of gray in the house with the kitchen and bathrooms, so I probably should choose something different than gray flooring. I saw this nice whitewashed hardwood flooring and instantly liked it. The floors were a little over three dollars a square foot, which added up to be a costly price with the space our house has, but I didn't mind.

I was in the store for another hour, selecting things that I like. Paint, light fixtures, and even some small furniture and decor they had. After I was all finished, I made the payment arrangements and got the remodel to be scheduled in two weeks, the day when Evie leaves. Evie will leave in the morning, and I got the remodel to begin at noon. The whole thing is going to cost about sixty thousand dollars. The best sixty thousand I'll ever spend in my life. Because nothing is too good for my Evie.


	55. Evie's Departure

_Evie's Departure _

[_Mal and Evie's home. 7:03 am_]

Mal's POV

I now skip head two weeks to Monday, the day Evie leaves. This is the first half of what we've been waiting for. But not before spending one last morning with Evie. We woke up to Evie's phone alarm at six and decided to have one last good morning before another week. We spent about forty minutes really loving each other by kissing and touching each other where we really like to be touched. Also breast play and some teasing. The bedroom was filled with the sounds of our moans, and looking back, it felt embarrassing, but it would be quite awhile before we would see each other again. After a great finish, I laid on top of Evie, both of us trying to calm our breathing.

"Each time we have sex…"

"I know what you mean, E. I love it too."

We didn't feel like talking much. We only felt like holding each other closely. But we knew Evie must get ready. A taxi paid for by Gabi will pick her up from our house at nine.

"Baby, I better get going." Evie said.

"Okay. But will you make me some breakfast one last time?" I asked.

"Of course. I'm going to make us a great one."

We put our nightdresses back on just so we can eat. I followed Evie downstairs to the kitchen. I sat at the kitchen table and watched as Evie started the stove to get it heated up. But as Evie was waiting for it to do it's thing, I got up and walked over to her and put my arms around her and started giving her kisses on her neck.

"What, Mal?" Evie asked.

"I'll miss you, sweetness." I said.

"I'll miss you too, baby. But I know you'll be alright."

Oh I'll be alright. That's for sure.

"I will, Evie. But promise me that you'll take some pictures while you're in Paris."

"I'll take lots, Mal. And I'll even bring home some things for you from Paris." Evie said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Of course. Nothing is too good for my baby girl." Evie said while she pulled me into a tight hug.

"I love you, E."

"I love you too, M."

I helped Evie make us a nice big breakfast which we enjoyed eating at the dining table. I savored every moment I'm having with her. I will admit, I did feel a bit sad and I wish I could go with her, but of course, I have something major to attend to myself.

"Oh, I wish I could take you with me." Evie said as I was thinking that.

"I wish I could too. But maybe someday we can go together. You know, make a vacation out of it." I said.

"That would be nice." Evie said.

We ate what was left of our breakfast, then returned back to our bedroom. Evie had packed her clothes and stuff the night before. All she needed to do was just get ready for the day, which I'll gladly help her. I followed Evie into our bathroom and took her nightdress off her so she was naked in front of me.

"Babe, what are you doing?" Evie asked with a hand on her hip.

"Helping you, of course." I said.

I stared at Evie's attractive body for a moment.

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer." Evie said sarcastically.

I smiled at Evie's sarcasm as she is rarely that way. However, it wasn't a bad idea.

"Hold on." I said.

I ran to our bedroom and grabbed my phone from it's charger and returned back to Evie. I opened the camera app and pointed my phone at her.

"Do a sexy pose." I said.

Evie looked at me with a brow arched and her arms folded.

"Seriously?"

"Come on, E! You're going to be gone for a week. Let me have something to remember you by."

Evie softly laughed.

"You really are something, you know that?" she asked.

"I do."

Evie smiled and signaled me to follow her to our bed. Evie did a few poses for me as I took a picture of each one. This is kind of wrong, but she is my lover.

"You want one of me?" I asked.

"Um, I don't think I'll have much time to myself. But, if I do get the chance, and if I'm in the mood, I'll text you to send me one, okay?"

"Okay. I love you." I said.

"I love you too. Now, I really gotta get going. Go pick me out an outfit while I begin my hair and makeup."

"Sure thing, Evie."

I picked out a light blue sleeveless dress that would go down to her thighs, with a dark blue denim jacket and black leggings. With it, she'll wear her black heel boots. I lined them up on our bed and I sat near them, watching Evie get herself ready in the bathroom.

It was about eight thirty now, and after helping Evie put a black bra on, she put on a pair of dark blue panties on, then her outfit. She was now ready to go.

"You always look beautiful, Evie." I said.

"Thanks, baby. Come here."

Evie led me back into our bathroom so she could brush my hair. After my hair was straightened, Evie opened her purse that was sitting nearby and took out a silver debit card.

"Now, when I'm gone, I want you to promise me that you won't just lay around and do nothing. This here is a debit card that is connected to my bank account. I have one and now you have one. You also have a car as well. So go out and have fun. Go to a park. Go to that aquarium. They have lots of sea creatures there. Just promise me that'll you take good care of yourself and you'll have some fun as well." Evie said.

"I will, Evie. I promise." I said.

"Good girl."

The time for Evie to leave was getting closer and closer. I helped Evie with her two suitcases downstairs and placed them by the front door. We still had about twenty minutes before nine, so we sat on the couch in the living room, cuddling and exchanging kisses.

"Take off your nightdress." Evie said.

"Take it off?" I asked.

"Yeah, take it off."

I did what I was told and afterwards I saw Evie take her phone out.

"Oh, so now you want a picture of me?" I asked.

"Shh!" Evie whispered.

I rested my back against an arm of the couch, with my legs apart and my arms beside my sides, while giving a soft smile. Evie snapped a photo. After liking the photo, she saved it and put her phone away in her pocket and laid herself on me.

"Do you know why I call you my baby, baby?" she asked.

"Because I'm a little shorter than you?" I asked.

"No! Well you are, but I call you my baby because you're cute like one. And you're charming. Plus that, I get to take care of you. Which I totally love doing." Evie replied.

"And I call you sweetness, because...well, you're sweet. Sweet and caring. And I'll miss you, but I love you." I said.

"I love you too. And I'll miss you as well, but you can text me anytime. And if you ever want to hear my voice, call me." Evie said.

"But you'll be busy." I said.

"So? If I am, I'll send you a text telling you I am. But I'll call you back the moment I'm free, okay?"

"Okay."

Evie helped me put my nightdress back on and gave me a big hug. She continued to lay on me for the next ten minutes until it was only five minutes before nine. I held Evie's hand as we walked to the front door.

"You got everything, Evie? Purse, id, all your makeup, hair iron, clothes?" I asked.

"I got it all, Mal. I'm ready."

"Can we kiss a little more?" I asked.

"Of course!"

We pulled each other in closely and had some wonderful, passionate kisses. We finished off with a nice french kiss.

"Mal, I love you so much."

"I love you too, Evie."

It was now nine o'clock. I put my shoes on that were near the door and then opened the door for Evie. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and she grabbed one of her suitcases while I grabbed the other one and followed her to the end of our driveway. A yellow taxi vehicle was seen on the road driving towards us.

"Well, Mal…"

"Yeah.."

The taxi car then arrived in front of us.

"Are you Evie Carson?" the driver asked.

"I am." Evie replied.

"I'm scheduled to take you to Vancouver International Airport."

"That's correct."

While the driver was getting out and putting Evie's suitcases in the back of the car, Evie and I were hugging.

"Have a safe trip, Evie. Call me when you arrive in Paris." I said.

"I will." Evie said.

"I love you, Evie. I love you so much." I said.

"I love you too, Mal. More than you'll ever know." Evie said.

We gave each other one last kiss before I opened the door for Evie so she could get in the car.

"Bye, baby."

"Bye, sweetness. Safe travels."

I closed the door and we both waved bye to each other as the car started to drive away. Tears were in my eyes as I watched the car travel farther and farther away. It was hard for me. I didn't want her to go. As I knew it was hard for Evie. But I wanted her to go. Not just because I'll have the chance to remodel our home, but because I've always felt a little bad about her having to abandon her fashion business so she could take us to Canada. I want her to attend this event in Paris. It's perfect for her.

I walked back to our house and cried a little after I closed the door behind me. But I kept telling myself everything will be alright. I'll get to talk to her soon and it's not like I'll never see her again.

"Remember Mal, you have the final step of your dream to accomplish. And Evie is going to love you for it. Think of the look she'll have on her face when she sees the new house." I told myself.

Yes. This house is going to be spectacular. I felt better and ran back up to our bedroom to get myself dressed and ready for the first big day. After I was dressed and everything, I grabbed some boxes I bought a few days ago and hid in one of the downstairs bedrooms and quickly began filling them up with our stuff from the living room and kitchen. Next I grabbed a whole bunch more boxes and filled them up with the stuff from Evie's bonus room and our bedroom and bathroom.

[_Vancouver International Airport. 9:40 am_]

Evie's POV

It was hard leaving Mal. Especially for a whole week. But she told me to go and have fun and she'll be alright. And I know she will. I call her my baby, but she's a big girl. She'll be fine. I sat in the back of the taxi for the whole thirty five minute trip to the airport. This airport was amazing. It's on it's own island. An island that might be as big as our former Isle. The taxi dropped me off at an entrance. I looked around, hoping I was taken to the right one.

"Evie!"

I turned to my left and saw Gabi walking up to me with a large suitcase.

"Hello, Evie." Gabi said as we hugged.

"Hello, Gabi." I said.

"So, are you ready to go to Paris?" she asked.

"I am."

"Awesome. This airport is pretty busy, so stay close to me. I'll lead the way to our plane." Gabi said.

"Okay, Gabi." I said.

I followed Gabi to the check in counter where we got our airline tickets. After receiving them, I saw something on them that got my attention.

"Business class?" I asked.

"Have you ever been on an airplane before?" Gabi asked.

"I haven't."

"Oh, then you're going to love it. Business class has nice comfortable seats. It'll be nice since this will be a twelve hour flight." Gabi said.

Twelve hour flight. Oh boy, Well, I am going to be traveling across the world. I followed Gabi to the security checkpoint. And once we were cleared, we made the long walk to our terminal. The other side of the airport, in fact. We sat down in some seats at the gate. The plane wasn't scheduled to leave for another forty five minutes.

"Are you hungry, Evie?" Gabi asked.

"No, not really." I replied.

"I am. Are you thirsty?"

"A little, I guess."

Gabi opened her purse and took out her credit card.

"You see that restaurant across the way? Go get me a chicken teriyaki sandwich. And you can get yourself something too. I'll stay here and watch our stuff." Gabi said.

"Okay, Gabi." I said.

I walked across the way to this submarine sandwich restaurant. I got Gabi her sandwich and I got me a strawberry banana smoothie. Something I'm sure Mal would love. I returned back to Gabi with her sandwich and card.

We waited patiently as we ate and drank. I've never been in an airport before, so it was interesting to watch people back and forth, knowing that they all have places to be. I heard many announcements over the intercom saying which planes were scheduled to leave and which ones were arriving.

I got up from my seat and walked to the nearby large windows. I admired the sight of the large planes taking off and landing. I took a few photos with my phone for Mal. Then I noticed a plane on the ground driving towards our terminal. It was our plane. And man, was it huge. It was mostly white, and with a wide gold stripe on both sides of its body. I took a photo of it and started feeling eagerness. I then returned back to my seat and waited anxiously.

"Patience, Evie. We'll board soon enough." Gabi said.

"I know." I said.

We waited a little longer and before too long, we were in line to board. I was amazed by the look of our seats when we got to them. They looked very comfy and roomy. They were tan in color with a small table between them with lots of legroom and a small tv screen on the back of the seats ahead.

Gabi and I put our suitcases away and relaxed in our seats. After everyone was on board, a flight attendant got on the intercom and explained the safety guidelines and what to do in case of an emergency, and after that the plane made its way to the runway for takeoff. The plane was quickly going faster and faster on the road, like the pilot was just flooring it. And as the plane was taking off into the air, my hands were holding tightly onto the seat arms. At the same time, my head was feeling so weird and off balance.

"You okay?" Gabi asked.

"Yeah. Just give me a minute or two to get used to it." I replied.

Gabi smiled and patted me on my left shoulder. After a couple minutes, the feeling passed and I felt much better.

"You sure you're okay?" Gabi asked.

"I am now. I've never been on a plane before, so I'm not used to this kind of environment." I replied.

"Okay. Just don't get sick on me. I need you."

"I won't."

"Alright. Since this is a long flight, they're offering food service. So when you get hungry, you go ahead and order what you want and I'll pay for it." Gabi said.

"What? Really, Gabi?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Wow. You're really nice. As a boss. I mean, you're the first one I've ever had. But it's just...that, it's really kind of you. I can pay for myself, but if you insist..." I said.

Gabi smiled and gave me a small hug.

"Evie. You're the best assistant I've ever had. I'm not just your boss. I'm also your mentor, and friend. You help me, so I'll help you."

She really is kind.

"Thanks, Gabi." I said.

"Anytime, Evie."

A flight attendant got on the intercom and said that phones, computers and wifi were now allowed to be used during the flight. Gabi took out her computer and I got on my phone and sent Mal a message telling her I was on the plane and on my way to Paris along with a selfie of me in my seat. She replied back to me sending her love. I put my phone away and looked out the window at the beautiful sky.

"_I'm on my way to Paris. I can't wait for the adventures I'll have there._" I thought.

[_Mal and Evie's home. 12:00 pm_]

Mal's POV

I got everything packed and stored in the foyer. After a trip to the bathroom, I looked out a window and saw a large truck and four pick up trucks pull up. The large truck is a semi with a storage container on it's trailer which will be used to store our furniture and belongings until the remodel is complete. So much easier than renting a storage unit and having to drive back and forth. I looked at my phone and saw it was noon. I walked to the front door to open it and saw a lot of guys getting demolition equipment from their vehicles. One guy then approached me.

"Ms. Cameron?"

"Yes?" I said.

"I'm Dylan. I'm the construction manager."

"Nice to meet you. You can call me Mal." I said as we shook hands.

I let Dylan into the house and told him everything is packed, except the furniture will have to be moved. Dylan had some guys go to the bedroom and take the bed away as well as the tables, chairs and couch taken away from the downstairs and placed in the storage container with the many boxes and appliances, which I'll have access to anytime I want. Now the house is ready to begin it's remodel. I watched from the living room as Dylan's crew began demolition in the kitchen. A few guys began tearing down the cabinets, while a couple more worked on destroying the countertops and bottom cabinets.

"_This is really happening. My dream is being fully accomplished._" I thought.


	56. The Renovation

_The Renovation_

[_Mal's hotel room. 7:38 pm_]

Mal's POV

Good progress has been made on the first day. The kitchen has been fully demolished and now is ready to begin getting it's new look. The two guest bathrooms have been demolished and are ready as well. The two guest bedrooms carpet has been ripped out and is ready for the flooring that will be delivered tomorrow along with the other materials.

Dylan and his crew left for the day and for the next few nights, I'm going to be sleeping in a hotel room a few miles away. I cannot stay there due to the crew taking out the bathrooms. I can't live there right now. But I was told that the remodel will only take four or five days. So I'm paying for the hotel room by using the lottery money so Evie won't know. However, I know I must use the debit card she gave me. She can check the bank statements anytime, and if she sees I'm not using the card and having fun like she told me, she'll know somethings up. And I cannot let her get suspicious or worried at all.

The hotel room I'm in is nice. It's different from the one Evie and I stayed in when we first arrived here, but still nice. It's mostly one big room, with the bathroom being in it's own room. But it is very spacious. A queen bed with a dresser across from it with a nice size tv sitting on top. And not far from the bed was a small round table with two comfy chairs. And the big thing is, since I'm on the second level, this room has outdoor access to it's own balcony that has a great view of the city.

I ordered some chinese takeout with the debit card Evie gave me and had it delivered to my room for dinner. After eating, I opened my suitcase which I packed with some of my clothes and other belongings that I'll need, and took out my nightdress. I took all my clothes off and slipped it on. After using the bathroom, I opened the double doors leading to the balcony and stepped outside. The concrete floor felt a little cold on my bare feet. As did the wind in the air feel cold on my body. Well, fall is approaching. It is going to get colder.

I returned back to the room and closed the double doors, plugged my phone in it's charger, set an alarm for six in the morning, turned off the lights, and laid in bed and soon fell asleep.

[_Mal and Evie's home. 8:00 am_]

Mal's POV

The next morning, it got cold. After watching the news on tv, I learned that this week is the start of some cold weather. After getting dressed and ready, I drove back to the house and arrived at the same time Dylan and his crew did. I unlocked the house for them, and the crew grabbed their equipment and got straight to work.

"Good morning. Getting cold, isn't it?" Dylan asked.

"It is. Well, it is late September, and fall is approaching." I said.

"Indeed. Now, Mal, while the guys are working in there, I'd like to talk to you more about your plans. I have a few questions." Dylan said.

"Go for it."

Dylan grabbed a clipboard and showed me some plans, including the ones I made up.

"Let's start with the kitchen. You said you would like to extend the living room wall against it out to give the kitchen more space?"

"I did. I would like to do that. Is there a problem?" I asked.

"I hope not. Follow me."

I followed Dylan into the house to the living room.

"It's a great idea, Mal. However, I'm concerned about something." Dylan said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I'm hoping that wall isn't a load bearing one."

"Load bearing? What's that?"

"It's a wall that is structurally important. They hold everything above them, including supporting the weight of the ceiling. If we were to take it out, it could strain the other walls, and risk a cave in." Dylan explained.

"Oh no. So we can't move it?" I asked.

"No, we can. In fact, I thought we should take it out altogether. To give the kitchen an even more open concept. We can add in what they call a support beam. It'll stretch from one end of the wall to the other. Taking over for the wall that we'll remove. However, it's going to be expensive."

"How expensive?" I asked.

Dylan took a tape measure and measured from the wall where the kitchen ends, to where it begins.

"That's about fifteen feet, so I'm thinking somewhere between fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars."

My brows raised in surprise.

"Two thousand dollars?" I asked.

"I know. They are not cheap."

"Hold on, let me figure out something." I said.

I took out my phone and opened the calculator app. But just as I was about to start making a calculation, one of the workers approached us.

"Dylan, we got a problem with the plumbing."

"What's wrong?" Dylan asked.

"The pipes are getting corroded in the guest bathrooms. They will need to be replaced."

"What about the master?"

"We haven't checked yet. But we think they might be the same as well."

Great. I wouldn't doubt it if the pipes will need replacing in the master as well. Hell, might as well do the kitchen too. Although, I shouldn't have to worry about costs. I have two million dollars. Well, _had_. I got back on my phone while Dylan and the worker were strategizing a plan.

I planned on using no more than one hundred thousand for the remodel, but that probably will change. That's okay. It's for Evie, and nothing is too good for her. The other thing is, the first payment for the house will be due soon, along with our other bills: internet, gas, water, electricity, and trash. Okay, those are no problems. As long as I have enough to pay off the house, and save some money for later use, I'll be alright.

"Go ahead and do what you need to do. I have room in my budget." I said.

"Okay. That's great, Mal." said Dylan.

Dylan told the worker to order some new pipes for the bathrooms.

"Also go ahead and take down that wall and get that support beam." I said.

"Really, Mal? Are you sure? We're not going to go over your budget will we?" Dylan asked.

"No. My budget is two hundred thousand dollars. As long as we don't go over that, I'll be alright." I said.

I just lied to myself right there. And Dylan saw through me.

"I heard that this remodel is a surprise for your girlfriend while she's away for a work trip." he said.

"It is." I said.

"In that case, you'll have nothing to worry about. My crew and I will make this the house the best one you've ever seen. It'll look really nice when we're done." Dylan said.

The _only _best house I've ever seen.

"Thank you, Dylan. I'm counting on you." I said.

"Of course, Mal. Now, let's talk about the rest of the house. Let's go upstairs."

I followed Dylan upstairs to Evie's bonus room. A few guys were in there finishing up ripping out the carpets to prep the floor for the new hardwood.

"How's it going, guys?" Dylan asked the workers.

"Great. We're about ready to prep the floor." replied one worker.

"Excellent. Now, Mal. After the floors are laid, we'll update the window, paint the walls. and then bring in the built-ins for the walls." Dylan said.

"Nice. What about the furniture and decor?" I asked.

"That will be last along with the rest of the home's decor and furniture you ordered. Now, your bedroom..."

I followed Dylan across the way to our bedroom. When we got there, I saw the carpet had been fully removed and the three workers in here were about ready to lay the floors.

"It looks like they are about to start laying down the floors." Dylan said.

"Nice. I'm excited to see it finished." I said.

"The plumbing in the bathroom is good. No corrosion at all." said a worker who walked out of the bathroom.

"Excellent!" Dylan said.

I smiled in relief.

Another worker walked in the bedroom.

"Dylan? The truck is here."

"Alright! Mal, it's really coming along." Dylan said.

"I see that. This is exciting." I said.

I followed Dylan outside to the front yard where a semi with a twenty foot trailer was parked on the driveway. The truck had all the flooring, cabinets, vanities and other stuff for the kitchen and bathrooms. After everything was unloaded into the house, the semi left.

"Mal, there's not much else you can do at this time. Go ahead and enjoy your day. I have your number, so I'll call you if anything comes up. But come back at five tonight so I can walk you through what will be done." Dylan said.

"Alright, sounds good." I said.

We shook hands and I took my leave.

[_Mal's hotel room. 9:22 am_]

Mal's POV

I returned back to the hotel room and took off my shoes and my jacket. I laid in bed and noticed that Evie has not called me yet.

"She should be in Paris by now. I wonder why she hasn't called me yet. She said she would when she arrives."

Now I'm starting to get worried. Especially since she's farther away from here than Auradon. With no further delay, I dialed her number and proceeded to give her a call, not caring whether she was busy or not. The phone kept ringing and ringing, making me feel nervous after each ring. But then, the call was answered.

"_Hello?_"

"Hello, sweetness, it's me. Sorry to bother you, but I was getting worried. You haven't called me. And I'm sure you're in Paris." I said.

"_I am. I'm so sorry, Mal. I've been sleeping ever since I arrived. The flight took a lot out of me. Gabi too. We've both been having feelings of jet lag and been sleeping since we got here. I'm sorry, Mal. I didn't mean to worry you._" Evie said.

"That's alright, Evie. As long as you got there safely and you're alright." I said.

"_I'm perfectly a-okay, Mal. How are you?_"

"I'm good. Just laying in bed as well. Trying to think of what to do."

"_I know one thing you can do._" Evie said.

"What's that?"

"_Enjoy yourself with those nude photos you have of me._"

I couldn't believe Evie just said that.

"Evie! You can't be saying things like that! What if Gabi hears you?" I asked.

"_Relax, Mal. She's asleep._" Evie replied.

"How do you know? Are you two sharing a room?" I asked.

"_We are. It's a nice big bedroom. But don't worry, Mal. I'm not sleeping with her. We have our own bed that is separated from each other._"

"Right, I didn't think you were." I said.

"_I'll send you some photos so you can see this amazing room. I even have a view of the Eiffel Tower._"

"Wow, that sounds great." I said.

I then heard Evie yawn deeply.

"I better let you go so you can get some more sleep. When is the fashion convention?" I asked.

"_It starts tomorrow morning. And it lasts for the next few days. Well, it is almost dinner time, I should get something for me and Gabi._" Evie said.

"Dinner? What time is it over there?" I asked.

"_About six thirty. Why? What time is it there?_"

"About nine thirty. In the morning."

"_Oh, that's like a nine hour difference. I'll have to keep that in mind when I call you._" Evie said.

"Same with me. But I'll let you go, Evie. You will probably have a big day tomorrow. I want you to get your rest."

"_You're sweet, M. Speaking of food, I hope you're taking good care of yourself and eating properly. Not just sandwiches and takeout, I hope._"

Ooh, yeah. I should really get better on that.

"I am taking care of myself, Evie. I promise. I've been cooking simple meals and having takeout occasionally." I said.

"_Good girl._"

Evie then yawned again.

"Well, I'll let you go. I love you, sweetness." I said.

"_I love you too, baby. Bye._" Evie said.

"Bye."

It felt nice to talk to her. Once again, I feel bad for lying to her, and I'll accept any punishment that might come to me. But after talking to Evie, I felt like taking a bath. So I started filling the tub with water and added bubble bath soap. I got undressed, but before getting in the tub, I looked at myself in the mirror. But mostly looked at my purple hair. You may recall, awhile back, that I thought about changing my look. Well, recently I haven't given it any more thought. Until now.

My hair is long, reaching down just past my chest. I said that being here is a new beginning. Trying to start a new life. Well, I don't need to try anymore. Because I already have a new life now. I fiddled with my hair for a little bit before having the thought of what Evie once told me.

"_Don't change yourself too much. Remember, I love you for who you are. You're perfect to me._"

I know, Evie. But I've basically cut ties with the Isle and Auradon, except for the four there I call family. Besides them, I no longer consider myself having any relation to my former home. I've had purple hair my whole life. And now, I've made the decision to have the purple go.

Later that day, I returned back to the house and Dylan walked me through what had been done. And man, did they make progress. New flooring was complete in the guest bedrooms and bathrooms.

"All your plumbing is good now. The plumbing in the kitchen had to be replaced a bit, but that's all taken care of." Dylan said.

"Nice! And I see that wall is gone." I said.

"Indeed, the new support beam is in the ceiling so now you don't have to worry about the roof falling in on you." Dylan said.

With the wall gone, the kitchen looks more open and inviting.

"A thin floor transition strip will be placed along the outer area of the kitchen, separating the kitchen floor from the living room floor, allowing a nice clean look." Dylan said.

"Okay. I was going to ask about that too." I said.

Dylan took me upstairs and showed me Evie's sewing room that had the new flooring installed. I chose gray rustic flooring for her room. I thought that would be perfect for her. Dylan then showed me our bedroom that had the new light gray flooring, which looked absolutely perfect. And the bathroom was completely bare, except for the new light gray tile flooring. If you're wondering why so much gray, well, it reminds me of a castle. A lot of castles are gray, and I know Evie wanted to live in a castle. Of course, she stopped caring about that for me, but I want to bring that feeling into our home. And I know she'll love it.

Throughout the next day, much more progress has been made. The flooring in the living room and foyer has been removed and replaced with the whitewashed hardwood. The guest bathroom is complete with the new vanity, marble countertop, toilet, and a showertub with a glass door and a light gray backsplash. And the half bath is complete with a new vanity, marble countertop and toilet too. I asked Dylan if the carpet on the stairs can be removed and replaced with the whitewashed hardwood, and then painted and he said sure. That can be done the next day.

The new kitchen floors have been installed with tile floors that have combined colors of gray and white with the bottom cabinets and marble countertops. Along with the spacious kitchen island. And with the floor transition strip, the two floors did look nice together. With so much progress that has been made, Dylan thinks we'll be done in no more than two more days. Which is awesome. I can't wait for the house to be finished.

[_Mal and Evie's home. 10:15 am_]

Mal's POV

It was now the fourth day of the renovation. And Dylan plans today to be the final day of building and tomorrow to be the day to bring in the furniture and decor, along with the belongings in the storage container. I arrived back at the house from earlier to see the crew was hard at work putting in the final pieces. The upper kitchen cabinets were getting installed as I walked in.

I walked around a bit to see what was going on. I checked out the master bath and immediately saw the new shower. It was set up like a box. The right side was up against the wall, the front was three inches off the floor, with a glass door, a glass window next to it on the left, then on the next side over was half a wall and half glass on top of the half wall, then on the back was gray tile with rock pebble backsplash. Bringing in that castle feeling even more.

The tub was rectangle shaped, up against the wall with built in jets. And it is big enough for me and Evie to share a bath together. Nothing special about the toilet, just new. On the opposite side of the bathroom was our large vanity that was I think around seven feet in length. A nice marble countertop with a large mirror above it with some fancy light fixtures on each side as well as in the middle above the mirror. A perfect bathroom.

"Nice job, guys. This looks fantastic." I said.

"Thanks." said a worker.

I returned downstairs and found Dylan in the laundry room that had the new whitewashed flooring installed.

"This is really amazing. I just checked out the master bath, and oh my god." I said.

"I know, right? I was impressed by it as well. You have great taste, Mal. You really do." Dylan said.

"Thanks. So what's up?" I asked.

"I was just about to go outside and check up on the porch. See how the progress is coming along with it." Dylan replied.

There's a few things I'm having done to the house I haven't said before. First off, go way back to when I had my first dream. There was a four seasons room. Well, I had the porch inspected, and it's up to code to be turned into one. So I'm having that done. But not just that, I got another surprise for Evie. I'm having a hot tub installed on the porch on the right side by the end. As Dylan and I walked out to the porch, I saw a few guys working on getting it setup.

"Your girlfriend is going to love you for that." Dylan said.

"I don't even know if "love" is going to be the word. I just hope I don't give her a heart attack from all of this." I said.

Dylan chuckled and began talking to another worker as I looked around. One section of the porch has been fully covered and completed and it looks nice. After Dylan talked to me a little more, I took my leave once more. I was excited to know that in seven hours, I'll be returning back to a newly remodeled home.


	57. The Renovation (Part 2)

_The Renovation (Part 2)_

[_Vancouver Aquarium. 11:43 am_]

Mal's POV

After leaving the house, I decided to do what Evie suggested: go to the aquarium. Might as well. What else am I going to do today? Before walking up to the admission building, I stopped and admired this statue of what looked like an ancient whale. Afterwards, I used the debit card Evie gave me to pay for my ticket.

I walked into this building and immediately saw this massive globe of our planet. However, the globe was displayed upside down. Curious to know why, I saw that it was displayed like that to show the Arctic's shrinking ice caps. The building was set up like a circle. With different entry ways leading to different parts of the aquarium. I walked into one entryway and saw many tanks housing marine life that can be found on the coasts. But as I was reading a display sign about different kinds of starfish, I felt my phone vibrating. I took it out of my jacket and saw it was Dylan calling me. I hurried to a different part of the area where there weren't many people around and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"_Hi, Mal, it's Dylan._"

"Yeah, hi. What's up?" I asked, wanting him to hurry up and talk to me so I could get back to these starfish.

"_We found a problem with your hvac unit._" Dylan said.

"My what?" I asked.

"_Heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit. A few guys were starting to set up your gazebo platform when a loud noise was heard coming from it. We checked it out, and we believe it will need replacing._"

"Okay, how much is that going to cost?" I asked.

"_About ten thousand dollars._"

Fuck me. Paying for new plumbing and a support beam is bad enough. But now this is top of the list of unexpected expenses. Well, that's what happens in a remodel. At least mold or anything else harmful like asbestos hasn't been found. Because that would really be costly. Luckily that was searched for when Evie bought the place.

"Okay, go ahead and do it. It needs to be done, so go ahead and do it." I said.

"_Okay, Mal. Don't worry, it'll be worth the cost. You'll be getting a new furnace and ductwork included with the cost._"

"Alright sounds good. Thanks for letting me know." I said.

"_Of course. Goodbye._"

"Goodbye."

I hung up and was about to put my phone away, when I decided to just keep it out to take pictures. Honestly, I don't even know where our furnace is. But it might be in the laundry room. I took some pictures of the starfish and continued on through the aquarium, taking many photos, and spending a lot of time looking at the exhibits of fish, sharks, octopus and penguins. The aquatic world is indeed fascinating. They say we have only explored five percent of the world's oceans. Which is hard to believe, since there is a lot of recorded marine life, but I guess that's just how it is.

I made my way outside to a bay on aquarium grounds where I saw some sea lions. And I have to admit, they were cute looking. I could tell their faces would make Evie fall in love with them. I took some pictures of them and even snapped a perfect photo of a seal looking directly at me. I walked back inside and walked down some stairs leading to the lower level. There wasn't much, just an underwater view of the sea lion exhibit. But there was a gift shop, where I bought a small plush sea lion for Evie. There was also a frog exhibit there as well which I checked out. Very cool. After that, I left the aquarium feeling quite happy. That place was pretty cool and it's a place I'll visit again, but with Evie.

[_Mal's hotel room. 2:27 pm_]

Mal's POV

After buying lunch from a restaurant, I returned back to the hotel room, feeling quite exhausted from all the walking I did at the aquarium. After I ate, I laid in bed, meditating. Relaxing myself, which felt really nice. Until I was disturbed by the sound of my phone vibrating on the nearby table.

"Oh, now what?!" I asked aloud.

I braced myself for the news of another unexpected cost. But it wasn't Dylan who was calling. Nor was it Evie. It was Carlos.

"My little brother." I said as I saw his name and number on the screen.

I haven't talked to him and the others in so long, he's probably worried about me and Evie. Without any further hesitation, I picked up the phone and accepted the call.

"Carlos, my little brother." I greeted.

"_Mal, my big sister. It's been awhile._" Carlos said.

"I know. I'm so sorry. How are you? How is everyone?" I asked.

"_I'm good. Jay's been doing good as well, and so have the girls. We've all been busy with school, but I was thinking about you and Evie last night and realized we haven't talked in quite awhile. I just want to make sure everything is okay with you and Evie._"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Carlos. Everything is fine. Evie's been doing great and so am I. In fact, much has happened since we last talked. Which was…?"

"_When you and Evie were buying your home._"

"Right." I said.

I felt so bad.

"_We got Evie's texts of the pictures she sent us of you two going fishing. That seemed cool._" Carlos said.

"It was. Looking back, it was." I said.

"_Evie said you were both going to sell the fish. So what did you use the money for?_"

"That's what I have to catch you up on. But I need you to keep it a secret for now from Evie. Don't tell her I told you this. Because right now, I'm having something done for Evie while she's away." I said.

"_Away? She's not with you?_"

"Listen, Carlos." I said.

"_Okay, Mal._"

"After receiving the check for the fish, along the way back to our place, Evie needed to fill the car with gas. So while she did, I bought us a few lottery tickets. Some scratcher cards and a ticket for a two million dollar drawing. And guess what?"

"_You won some money?_"

"Not just some. A lot. We didn't win anything on the scratcher cards. Instead, we won the two million dollars."

"_What?! No way!_" Carlos exclaimed.

"Yes, way."

"_Whoa! You two are rich! So what are you going to do with all that money?_" Carlos asked.

"Here's the part I need you to keep a secret from Evie if you decide to talk to her. Promise me you'll keep what I'm about to tell you a secret."

"_I promise, Mal. I will keep your secret. You can trust me._" Carlos said.

"I know. I just want to make sure. Evie is away right now for a business trip with her boss in Paris, France for the remainder of the week. I'm using about two hundred thousand dollars of the lottery money to have our house remodeled to look new and luxurious while she's away right now."

"_Wow. Mal. That is...I think that will be the nicest thing you've ever done for Evie._" Carlos said.

"I think so too. It's the final step from my dream." I said.

"_Evie's in Paris, huh? Wow. Things have really turned to the best for you two. I'm really happy for you both._" Carlos said.

"Thank you, Carlos. I miss you. And I miss Jay, Lonnie and Jane. I really do."

"_We all miss you as well, Mal. But know we'll always be family. No matter how far away you both are._"

"That's the spirit of a true family. But tell me, how have you all been? How are things at Auradon Prep?" I asked.

"_Can't really say back to normal. A few weeks ago, they gave up looking for you and there are wanted posters of you, but missing posters of Evie. Jay, Lonnie, Jane and I have to walk around, pretending to be a little sad to keep up the act of not knowing where you two are._"

"I'm so sorry we're having you do that." I said.

"_Don't be. We're more than happy to. We will never tell where you two are. They asked us occasionally, but we fooled them so good, they stopped._"

"What about you-know-who? How is she doing?"

"_Oh her. I have to say, she is no longer the same person you knew._" Carlos replied.

"What? Really?" I asked.

"_Yes. Audrey has been kinder to me and Jay. Not "wanting to hang out with you" kind, but kind. She says "hi" and "how are you today?" to us. She begged Lonnie to accept her back into her life and the same with Jane. And they did. She's depressed though. Knowing that Evie is gone and nowhere to be found. I think she's mourning the "disappearance" of Evie, and doesn't want to lose anyone else._"

That was hard for me to believe.

"Wow. I do feel a bit bad for her." I said.

"_We kind of do as well._"

"But I'm afraid us leaving so suddenly is because of her. It was probably wrong of me to attack her, but she left me no choice. We had to leave because of her."

"_Indeed. That's how we feel as well._"

"Yeah." I said, sighing after.

"_Well, I'll let you go, Mal. But call more often, okay?_"

"I will. I promise." I said.

"_Okay._ _I love you, Mal._"

"I love you too, Carlos. Bye."

"_Bye._"

And with that, our call ended.

[_Mal and Evie's home. 5:00 pm_]

Mal's POV

It was now time to see the finished home. I eagerly drove back to our house so see what it looks like. When I got there, I immediately saw the new trees in the front yard along with some new bushes and some stake lights I ordered lined up along the walkway leading to the front door. I also saw the fresh coat of paint on the house as well. I parked in the driveway and saw Dylan standing at the entrance of the walkway.

"Hello, Mal." he said after I got out of the car.

"Hi, Dylan. Wow, this looks amazing." I said.

"Thanks, but wait until you see the inside." Dylan said.

"Is it done?"

"It's done."

I squealed in excitement, feeling anxious as I followed Dylan to the front door. He opened the door for me and stepped out of the way.

"After you." he said.

I walked inside and gasped. The walls that were a cream white were now a brighter white. The stair rails were changed to be gray, once more resembling a castle material. And the carpet on the stairs were removed and replaced with the gray hardwood flooring. As I was slowly taking it all in, Dylan turned on some more lights around so I could get a better look at everything. After walking past the foyer, I saw the living room and just past that was the new open concept kitchen that I had dreamed about.

"Oh my god." I said.

Gray cabinets and marble countertops. I looked in every drawer and opened every cabinet door and was just lost for words.

"Your girlfriend is going to love this kitchen. What's her name?" Dylan asked.

"Evie." I replied.

"Evie. Evie is going to love this. Is she the cook?"

"She is. She knows how to cook."

"Then I'd say this kitchen is a chef's paradise." Dylan said.

The backsplash in the kitchen was beautiful. It was dark stone rock, stacked on top of each other and was covering the whole back wall of the kitchen where the majority of the cabinets were along with the stove and range hood. In front of that was the big kitchen island that was gray and with a marble countertop. To the left of that was the rest of the cabinets that lined up about half the wall. The bottom cabinets had a large farmhouse sink with a rustic fixture with it. And down a bit to the left of it was a place for the refrigerator. The other half of the wall was the dining area.

I walked around the wide kitchen island and saw an empty square space in the island.

"That is for the dishwasher. We rerouted some pipes to go here for it. Since the wall we took out originally had the dishwasher hooked up there, we had to put it somewhere." Dylan said.

"And putting it here is incredible." I said.

I walked to the dining area and turned around so I could get a view of the whole kitchen. I smiled at the thought of imagining Evie cooking there wearing only a blue shoulderless dress with her silver tiara.

"Let's go see the bonus room, bedroom and bathroom." Dylan said.

I looked in Evie's room and loved the new flooring with the built-ins in the walls. Lots of storage space for Evie's sewing material and supplies. I then followed Dylan to our bedroom. When I got there, I looked at the wall where our bed is going to be and saw the stone rock wallpaper that looked so real. I chose that at the home improvement store and knew exactly what to do with it. It makes the perfect accent wall. The rest of the walls remained white. I walked into the bathroom and the wall where the vanity and mirror also had the same stone rock wallpaper.

"You know, Evie has a thing for castles." I said.

"Then everything we've done will make her feel like she is living in one." Dylan said.

"Exactly what I wanted."

"Let's check out the porch and backyard." Dylan said.

I nodded and followed him. I checked out the half bath located by the kitchen. Then I followed Dylan to the laundry room where the back door is. He let me walk out first to see the new four seasons room that has screens on the outside of the windows.

"Wow." I said.

"Impressive, isn't it? These metal screens won't rust from rain or snow for a very long time. It's material that's built to last. Plus it has excellent privacy too. You can easily see out. But you can't easily see in. Not unless you get super close to it." Dylan said.

Evie and I can have sex out here and no one would be able to see. Not that they could easily anyway, since the houses have some distance between them. But this is nice.

"Look to your right." Dylan said.

I did and saw the fully operating hot tub.

"You got yourself a nice model. It's quiet, has LED lighting inside, and has a multi operating system for the control of the jets." Dylan said.

"It is indeed nice. Evie will be most surprised." I said.

Dylan walked me to a door leading to the outside of the room. The exit is in the same place where the stairs are to leave the porch. Across the pebbles of rocks, was the grassy backyard. And not too far up ahead was the newly finished gazebo. Twelve foot by ten foot made of steel, but looks to be made of wood, standing over a newly built gray brick platform that was fifteen foot by fifteen.

"Absolutely amazing." I said.

"Think of the parties you could have here." Dylan said.

"_The parties I could have with my whole family._" I thought.

Tears were in my eyes as I was thinking everything I had just seen.

"Dylan, you and your team are absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for doing this for me." I said.

"It was our pleasure, Mal. I wish you and Evie the best." Dylan said.

"Thank you."

I gave him a hug as a sign of my gratitude. We then walked back inside to the front door.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked.

"No. I'm afraid not, Mal. I just specialize in construction and my job is done. All that's left now is to furnish and decorate your home. And that's out of my league really." Dylan replied.

"Well, thank you again so much." I said.

"You're welcome, Mal. Again, I wish you two the best, and give Evie my regards." Dylan said.

"I will. Thank you. Goodbye." I said.

"Goodbye." Dylan said.

I opened the door for him to let him leave. I then watched him get in his truck and drive away. After he left, I walked out to the driveway and admired the nice front of the house. When Evie returns, she'll immediately notice the new plants and paint.

"Oh, Evie. I cannot wait for you to get back home." I said.

[_Mal and Evie's home. 10:00 am_]

Mal's POV

The next morning, I got up and dressed, checked out of the hotel, and arrived back at the house for the final time. A team arrived with a large truck that had the furniture and decor that I had ordered from a local store. A woman, Alison, was the leader of the team, while also an interior designer. She knew exactly what looks good where and what looks good with what.

It took six hours to completely furnish the home with our belongings from the storage container plus ten thousand dollars worth of new furniture and decor. As well as some other things. In the two bedrooms downstairs, there's a full size bed as well as a dresser and a nightstand as well as some wall art. In the foyer, there's a bench by the door as you walk in with a white area rectangle rug in front of the door. And on the wall leading to the bedrooms, there is a large mirror for Evie. And up on the ceiling, there is a silver fancy chandelier. And on the wall by the stairs, I bought and set up a fish tank. A freshwater tank with rocks and decor that has three angelfish swimming around. Fish wasn't a good topic at Auradon, but it brought us good luck in Vancouver.

The living room and kitchen is amazing. The couch Evie and I bought along with the loveseat sits on a stylish gray and white rug. A fabulous entertainment center complete with a fifty five inch tv is set up on the wall in front. On the wall beside the couch and loveseat, are some picture frames with printed photos of me and Evie, along with the photo of us and our family when we were on the yacht before we left Auradon. You know what the kitchen looks like, but it's now complete with the appliances, as well as some decor and lots of cooking and baking supplies.

A long rectangular table with some storage cubbies is placed in the laundry room for more storage and a better place for folding clothes. And out the backdoor to where our four seasons room, there is a swing couch perfect for Evie and I to cuddle in. As well as a small chair and a table. In the area underneath where the gazebo is set up, there are four lawn chairs and a fire pit in the middle.

Back inside upstairs, Evie's sewing room is fantastic. As you walk in, to the left, there is an L shaped desk with a desktop computer that is all set up for Evie to use. On the right of the desk is a filing cabinet. Across the room at the back wall, is her sewing station. A large rectangular table that sits at the left side of the wall with her sewing machine placed on top, with a desk not too far from it at the right. There are a few storage organizers placed along the other walls with the built-ins placed on the right wall as you walk in. Each of them filled with material.

And lastly our bedroom. Our bed is still the same, but there is a small round ottoman in front with two nightstands on both sides at the head of the bed. A lamp is placed on both nightstands along with a small fake plant. Two dressers are placed on each side of the room. And on the wall above Evie's dresser is a large round mirror. There is some wall art and a reading nook setup by a window for me. As well as a small couch on the wall by the bathroom.

There are many places in the house for me and Evie to cuddle and make love in. And now the next thing is for Evie to return home. But not before one last thing. Yes, even after all that, there is one more thing to do. But it doesn't involve the house. It involves me.

My purple hair is going. I'm having it changed, and I know exactly to what. I went to a nearby hair salon and paid seventy dollars to have it completely changed to my choosing: light blonde hair. I thought about leaving some purple in, but for now, no purple. After I left the salon feeling very satisfied, I went to the mall to find some new outfits, as well as a dress to wear when Evie returns. You know how Evie's been planning surprises for me? Well, it's my turn to plan a surprise for her. And I know exactly how to play this out.

* * *

**A/N: Mal's dream has now fully come true. And the next thing that will happen is Evie's return home. But I'm sad to report that this story is almost over. I don't want to, but I don't want the last chapter to come in as a surprise, so I'm telling you this now. After this chapter, I'm planning on two or three more before the finale. But a big thank you to all the readers and my reviewers. It means a lot to me for your support. I'm going to make these last few chapters spectacular.**


	58. Welcome Home, Evie

_Welcome Home, Evie_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 9:33 pm_]

Evie's POV

I returned home late at night from a long flight home. I was tired, but would've been completely exhausted if Gabi hadn't bought me a coffee before we went our separate ways from the airport. After the taxi left, I stood by the driveway of our home. Trying to think if something is different. Because something feels different.

"_Have those trees always been there?_" I thought.

But I shrugged it off and proceeded to the door with my suitcases. After unlocking the door, I walked in and noticed it was dark inside the house.

"Really, Mal? You couldn't have left a light on for me?" I asked aloud.

I sat my suitcases down and flicked on the nearby lightswitch that controlled the lights to the foyer. And when the lights came on, I closed the door and dropped my purse to the floor when I saw the new foyer.

"What in the world? Oh my god." I said.

The entrance was completely different. The hardwood floors were whitewashed, the walls were a brighter white, and the stair rails were gray with gray pillars in between. And the steps were not carpet, but instead were hardwood. I walked in a little further and saw on the right side just past the stairs, was a twenty gallon fish tank complete with three freshwater fish, colorful rocks, plants, and sitting on its own stand.

"Welcome home, Evie."

I looked up at the top of the staircase and saw a fair skinned girl with light blonde hair, almost bordering on white, tied into a bun behind her head with two strands of hair, one on each side of her face, dangling down. And on the top of her head, was my silver tiara. She was also wearing a beautiful sleeveless white lace dress that went half way down her thighs with a sparkling silver necklace and white open toe heels that barely covered her feet.

"Mal?" I asked.

"Hello, my sweetness." the girl greeted.

"Mal, is that you?" I asked.

"It is."

Mal walked down the stairs to me so I could get a better look at her. She was absolutely beautiful. I never thought she could be more pretty. But boy, was I wrong. Her makeup was absolutely amazing. Pink lips, with a hint of pink blush on her cheeks, light green eyeshadow and all her nails were light pink as well. There are also silver bracelets on both her arms.

"Mal. You look-I want to say amazing...but, that just isn't the word. You look...beautiful, pretty. I'm just at a loss for…"

"Words?"

"Yes."

"Thanks, Evie."

"You truly are beautiful. I feel like I have fallen in love with you all over again." I said.

"Kiss?" Mal asked.

"Please. It's been so long." I said.

We put our arms around each other and engaged in a long passionate kiss.

"Oh, baby. I missed you so much." I said.

"I missed you too." Mal said.

"I love what you did here. This looks amazing. And the fish are really cute."

"Yeah. I thought we should have our own pet. But I know we're not quite ready for a dog or a cat. So I thought some fish would be a good start."

"They are cute. What kind of fish are they?" I asked.

"Angelfish."

"And the mirror. I love the mirror." I said.

"Right?"

"But how did you do all this?" I asked.

"I'll tell you. But not yet. There is still much more to see. But first, I need you to cover your eyes." Mal said.

"Why?"

"Please? Just do it."

"Okay."

I covered my eyes, but also closed them as well.

"Okay, I'm going to guide you into the living room." Mal said.

Mal put her right arm around my waist and led me forward a little bit then she had me stop in place.

"Don't uncover them until I say so." Mal said.

"Okay."

It was dark in the living room when I walked into the house, so I had no idea what Mal had done. But after she turned on some lights, she told me to uncover my eyes and I gasped in shock.

"Oh...my...god." I said.

"I'll give you a few minutes to take it all in." Mal said.

I was amazed by what Mal had done. Just like how I felt about Mal's new look, I don't know what words to use. The living room looked great with the additional furniture, plant decor, and something else that got my attention.

"What do you think of it?" Mal asked.

"It's wonderful."

On the back wall of the room, there's a few picture frames with a picture inside of me, Mal, Carlos, Jay, Jane and Lonnie when it was our last day in Auradon when we did those selfies on our yacht. Also there's pictures of me and Mal when we went fishing, and one of us we took when we were still in Auradon.

"Family is a gift that lasts forever." I read from a plaque that was hung below them.

Seeing that made tears form in my eyes.

"Oh, baby. This is beautiful." I said.

"That's not all. Turn around." Mal said.

I turned around and when I saw Mal in the new kitchen, I really started to cry.

"Oh my god, Mal! This is so beautiful!" I exclaimed.

It was a dream kitchen that looked very similar to the drawing in Mal's sketchbook.

"My own kitchen?!"

"Indeed. It's all for you, Evie."

"Oh my god! This is incredible!"

The stone wall in the back of the kitchen was, well, gosh, I keep using the same words over and over. But it was. Absolutely amazing. I walked around the kitchen. Admiring every detail there was, including the island.

"How?" I asked Mal.

Mal smirked.

"There's still more." she replied.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

Mal walked up to me and reached her right hand out.

"Follow me." she said.

I took Mal's hand and followed her upstairs to the closed door of my sewing room.

"Promise me that you won't have a heart attack when you see this." Mal said.

"I'll try not to. But what have you done? I'm very nervous right now." I said.

Mal put her hand on the door handle and was about to turn it when she stopped.

"You know, you gave up your business to take me here. I could never ask you to do that, but you did it anyway. And I owe you so much for it. So this is my way of saying "thank you" for doing that." Mal said.

Mal opened the door and stepped back so I could see in. And right as I saw the complete sewing room, I started to cry. My hand was over my mouth, trying to control my emotions.

"Maybe someday, you will be able to start your business again. I know you've been busy with work and all. So you won't be able to just focus on one thing, but I still have a lot to learn about sewing. So maybe you can teach me." Mal said.

"Oh, baby. I would love to." I said.

I let myself fall into Mal's arms, while crying softly.

"You doing okay?" Mal asked.

I laughed.

"I'm great. Is there more?" I asked.

"Yeah." Mal replied.

I looked at the room again and admired everything in it.

"Come here, sweetness." Mal said.

I followed Mal to our bedroom and gasped as I walked in.

"Oh, wow." I said.

After I walked in some more, I noticed a large mirror above a dresser.

"Is that mirror for me?" I asked.

"It is. You still have a liking for mirrors, right?" Mal asked.

"Always." I replied.

"We each have our own dresser. Plus our shared walk in closet." Mal said.

"I like this ottoman. Very cute."

"What do you think of the accent wall behind our bed?"

"Very nice. I love the rocks. It looks like the rocks in the kitchen kind of like a…"

That's when it hit me.

"Wait. Don't tell me!" I exclaimed.

"Yes!" Mal exclaimed.

"The rock in the kitchen and here. The gray flooring. The gray vanities. Even the gray walls. And the gray texture on the stairs. It all has the resemblance of a…"

"Castle?" Mal asked.

"Yes!"

Mal laughed and jumped onto the bed and sat crisscross.

"I was wondering if you were going to catch on to it. A long time ago I said we were going to live in our own castle. Well, here is our castle." Mal said.

"You dreamed of us living in a castle themed home?" I asked.

"No. I don't think that's where it was headed. It was more contemporary. Very modern. But I decided to combine the two together." Mal said.

"You combined it very well. You have great potential for an interior designer." I said.

"I was told that before. But go look in our bathroom."

I opened the door to our bathroom and gasped.

"You gotta be kidding me! The same rock wallpaper?! Gray cabinets?!" I asked.

I walked to the end and saw the shower.

"Gray pebble backsplash? Are you kidding me?!" I exclaimed.

Mal laughed and walked inside up to me.

"You love it?" she asked.

"I love it!" I replied.

"Good. Imagine the baths and showers we'll take here."

"Oh, I can imagine. And the sex we'll probably have here." I said.

"We'll have lots of fun." Mal said.

"Okay, Mal. Tell me. How the hell did you get all of this done?" I asked.

"I'll tell you, E. But there's a couple more things you need to see." Mal said.

She grabbed my hand and led me downstairs to show me the guest bedrooms and the bathrooms. Then she led me to the laundry room where I saw the impressive storage space and then to the back door.

"Wait until you see this." Mal said.

She opened the door and stepped out first before holding it open for me. I could not believe what I was seeing.

"Is this what I think it is?" I asked.

"It is. A four seasons room. And look to your right." Mal said.

I turned and gasped.

"Oh, Mal, you didn't!"

"I sure did."

I squealed at the sight of our hot tub.

"A hot tub?!"

"Yes. Now imagine us naked and feeling the warm water on our bodies." Mal said.

"Skinny dipping in a hot tub?! I like that!" I said.

"You gave me the idea of getting one on our one year anniversary." Mal said.

"I did? How so? I don't remember." I said.

"You were drunk on the wine. But I've kept it in my head ever since."

"Drunk. That explains why. But I'm glad you did. That looks so cool." I said.

I looked out the window and saw something standing in our backyard. Mal looked in the direction I was looking in and smiled.

"Go check it out. The door is in the same place as the stairs to the ground." Mal said.

I walked to the door and opened it to see out. I saw the gazebo with a fire in the middle. I walked down the stairs to the gazebo and saw it standing on its platform with a fire burning in the fire pit in the middle along with the four lawn chairs in the middle.

"What do you think?" Mal asked as she approached me.

"This is nice. I remember you mentioning a gazebo when we first looked at this house." I said.

"I thought one would look nice out here."

"And it does."

Mal sat down in a chair and invited me to sit in the chair next to her. I happily accepted the invitation and sat down, admiring the beautiful blonde.

"Alright, baby. Spill it. How did you do all this? But please don't tell me you put us into thousands of dollars in debt doing this." I said.

Mal smirked.

"No, Evie. Everything is paid for. And I didn't use a single dollar from your account either." Mal said.

"Then how did you do this?" I asked.

Mal turned her chair to face me, signaling me to do the same. I could tell this was going to be a long story. One I was anxious to hear.

"Evie, we won two million dollars." Mal began.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Yep. Those lottery tickets I bought at that gas station the day of our fishing trip? Well, I lied to you. The scratch cards were no winners, but that ticket for the drawing of two mil was."

I sat back in the chair, completely bewildered and shocked.

"I had a hard time believing it. I kept checking the numbers over and over to make sure I didn't read it wrong. But I didn't. I had the winning ticket." Mal said.

"So then what? How long were you planning to keep it a secret from me?" I asked.

"I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure why I didn't come running to you when I found out. It wasn't until a few days later when Gabi came to our home to tell us about the trip to Paris. But that's when I had the idea of remodeling our home while you were away. The weeks leading up until your departure, I got things planned out and set up. And the crew arrived the afternoon you left." Mal explained.

"Oh my god." I said, trying to take it all in.

"This guy, Dylan, and his amazing team spent four days remodeling the home. And the fifth day, this woman, Alison, her and her awesome team spent six hours staging the place with furniture and decor, along with our belongings that were stored in a container outside of the house during the renovation."

I laughed.

"So that's what you were doing while I was gone? This entire time. The times I called you, you said you were at home. So where were you really?" I asked.

"In a hotel room. I couldn't stay here after the place was demolished. I'm sorry I lied to you, Evie, but...I had to. It pained me, but I had to. I understand if you feel upset."

"No, it's fine, baby. I'm not upset at all. I see why you had to. To plan the biggest surprise of all. I'm just at a loss for words. But I can say I love absolutely everything here." I said.

I got up and sat myself on Mal's lap. With my arms around her neck and her arms around my waist.

"Baby, I love you. I love you so much. I love what you've done to the house and to yourself. I have never found you more attractive." I said.

"Thanks, E. I'm glad you like it." Mal said.

"I love it." I said.

I pulled her into a kiss, then a french kiss. Afterwards, I continued to lay on her while we sat in silence, looking at the city lights across the harbor.

"So, what now?" I asked a few minutes later.

"Well, there's only one thing left to do." Mal replied.

"Sex?" I asked with a smirk.

Mal softly laughed.

"No. Well that, yes. But, my dream has been fully accomplished now. And one last thing I can think of doing is bringing our family over. Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane. And I believe fall break is coming up real soon. I need to find a way to get them here so they can be with us during their break." she said.

"Beautiful idea, baby." I said.


	59. Grocery Run

_Grocery Run_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 10:20 am_]

Mal's POV

The next morning, I let Evie sleep in due to her being tired from the long flight back from Paris. Before going to sleep last night, Evie and I showed how much we missed each other in bed. I'm so glad Evie loved everything I did to the house. Not that I knew she wouldn't, of course. But I'm so thrilled.

After getting out of bed, I put my nightdress on and quietly used the bathroom. While washing my hands, I looked at myself in the mirror, admiring my new hair. Afterwards, I quietly left the bedroom and walked down the stairs to the foyer. Along the way to the kitchen, I fed the three angelfish their tropical flakes food. Then I headed to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

A half hour later, I was done cooking and put some eggs, bacon, and toast on two plates on the counter by the stove from the fry pan. As I turned around, I noticed Evie slowly walking towards the island. Her nightdress was on, but a little crooked with her hair was a bit of a mess.

"Morning, Evie." I said.

"Morning, Mal." Evie said with a deep yawn.

As she was yawning and talking at the same time, she bumped into the island, and would have fallen to the floor if I hadn't caught her in time.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine, babe. Just...tired and...and out of it."

Evie was feeling strong jet lag.

"E, sit down." I said as I guided her to a chair at our dining table.

I had Evie sit down to regain herself. I grabbed a hairbrush that was sitting on the countertop nearby and began to brush her hair, trying to straighten it out a bit.

"I'm surprised you haven't fallen down the stairs. You didn't fall, did you?" I asked.

"No. I think the feeling came around after I was down the stairs." Evie replied.

"Thank goodness. I'm glad Gabi is giving you the next few days off. You're going to need it." I said.

"Mal?"

"Yes?"

"You're so pretty."

"So are you, Evie."

I gave her a kiss on the lips before walking back into the kitchen. I grabbed some utensils from a drawer as well as our plates, and returned back and put a plate in front of Evie. It took some food and more time for Evie to feel halfway decent.

"How are you feeling now?" I asked as I brought Evie a small glass of orange juice.

"Better. I'm now able to think properly." Evie replied after taking a few sips.

"That's good." I said.

"It is. Because I want to tell you all about my trip to Paris."

Evie then yawned deeply.

"I would love to hear all about it, E. But for now, you just need to focus on feeling better. Maybe you should lay back down for a bit." I said.

"Yeah, maybe I should." Evie said with another deep yawn.

"You should sleep in one of the guest bedrooms. I don't want you taking another chance with the stairs." I said as I helped Evie up and guided her to the foyer.

"Oh, Mal. You're so sweet." Evie said.

"I know." I said.

I walked Evie to the first bedroom and helped her into bed and tucked her in. But as I was about to leave, Evie grabbed and held onto my arm.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Stay with me." Evie said as she patted the empty space next to her with her free hand.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I sighed. I love cuddling with Evie every chance I get, but the kitchen...

"I need to clean up the kitchen." I said.

"Oh come on, Mal." Evie whined.

"I need to clean it up, then I'll be back, okay?" I asked.

Evie sighed, but smiled.

"Okay. Hurry back." she said.

I speed walked back into the kitchen to clean up the dishes and pans. After spending ten minutes cleaning the dishes and the kitchen, I returned back to the bedroom.

"Took you long enough." Evie laughed.

"Yeah, whatever." I said with a smile.

I got in the bed and snuggled close to her.

"Alright, tell me about your trip." I said.

"Okay, I got on the plane, which was luxurious. Remember those photos I sent you?"

"I do."

"Well, that's where I was. Business class." Evie said.

"Yeah? So what did you do during the twelve hour flight?" I asked.

"Sleep, watch movies, eat, use the bathroom, and talk to Gabi."

"Sounds nice." I said.

"It was." Evie said.

"Alright, tell me, what was the first thing you thought after you stepped off the plane and saw you were in Paris?" I asked.

"_Shit_!" Evie replied.

I laughed.

"Seriously?!" I asked.

"Seriously." Evie replied.

"Wow. Imagine that."

"Yeah."

Evie talked about the sights she saw along the way to her hotel suite. It was then she was starting to get tired. So I covered her with her blanket, gave her a kiss, then left her to sleep, promising me that she'll tell me the rest later.

[_Mal and Evie's home. 4:30 pm_]

Mal's POV

Several hours passed. I took a bit of a nap myself along with Evie and woke up first. Evie woke up after me when I left the room to walk across the hallway to use the guest bathroom. After I finished doing my thing, Evie approached me as I was washing my hands.

"Hey." she greeted.

"Hi. How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Better. Much better."

"That's good." I said.

After I dried my hands, Evie pulled me into a nice kiss.

"Thanks for taking care of me." she said.

"Of course. It was my pleasure. Are you hungry?" I asked.

"I am. Very."

Evie followed me into the kitchen, only to see we don't have too much to choose from. I haven't gone grocery shopping since before Evie left due to the remodel, so we needed to go to the store _bad_.

I checked the weather on my phone, curious to know what temperature it is, and saw it was getting cold outside. Well, it is nearly October. The leaves have already begun to change. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm happy that it's starting.

We returned to the bedroom to get dressed. We decided to wear the clothes we bought here in Vancouver. Not really wearing our Auradon or Isle clothes anymore. Well, I'm not. Evie still does a bit for work. But I pretty much am not anymore. Only wearing the new clothes I bought the day I had my hair changed.

After we were ready to go, Evie grabbed her blue Isle jacket, due to it being thicker in material, and put it on from the closet. However, she was concerned when she didn't see me put mine on.

"Mal? You know you're going to need a jacket, right? I don't want you catching a cold." she said.

"I know, but I'm not going to wear my purple one. Instead, I got myself a new one." I said.

On the day I had my hair changed to blonde and bought myself some new outfits, I got myself a new jacket as well. A white quilted jacket with black buttons. Very soft on the inside.

"Wow, you really have changed." Evie said.

"Is it too much?" I asked worriedly.

Evie smiled warmly at me.

"Not at all. You're always beautiful to me." she said with a kiss.

[_Vancouver, Canada. 5:20 pm_]

Mal's POV

We arrived at the store a bit later. After I got out of the car, it started to rain a little and the air was getting cold. Evie grabbed her purse and locked the car, then she put her arm around me and we quickly walked together to the entrance. As we approached the entrance, there was this group of young boys who were standing underneath the roof with skateboards in hand. Who probably don't want to ride in the rain.

"It's getting cold out here." said one boy.

"Yeah." said another.

"Can't ride in this weather."

"Yeah. Our weenies are going to shrivel up like a stack of dimes." said another boy as Evie and I walked past the group.

"Thank you for that visual." Evie whispered.

I glanced at Evie, who had an unamused look on her face, while I was smiling to myself.

When we walked inside the store, Evie grabbed a basket and I followed her from behind. We went to the deli and picked out a nice size, delicious looking, nice size rotisserie chicken.

"Oh, that's a good one." I said.

"Yes. I have a recipe that I'll use to make wonderful dinner with it." Evie said.

We walked around the store getting what we needed. Milk, eggs, chips, drinks, vegetables, some in cans and some fresh in a bag. After filling up half the cart with other things, we headed to a checkout to pay. While waiting, there was this stupid guy who got what he wanted, but didn't have his wallet.

"Oh, I forgot my wallet in the car. I'll be right back." he told the cashier.

The cashier wasn't pleased. Neither was I. That was just stupid. Another cashier opened up a register and directed me and Evie to his lane. After paying, we walked outside to sprinkling rain. I helped Evie place the bags in the trunk of our car. After the last bag was in the car, I offered to take the cart to the corral for Evie. She gave me a kiss as a sign of thanks, but as I was about to start walking the cart back, we both heard a familiar voice call to us.

"Hey, it's you two!"

I got nervous for a second, thinking it was someone from Auradon, but it wasn't. Not even close. Someone who had no relation to that whatsoever. Instead, it was our space pirate friend we met when we first arrived, Luka.

"Luka?" I asked.

"Hi, Mal! Hi, Evie! Long time no see." she said.

"Indeed, it has been." Evie said.

Evie and I exchanged hugs with Luka.

"I love your new look, Mal. So fresh." Luka said.

"Thanks. I certainly feel fresh." I said.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Evie asked.

"Oh, he's...around here somewhere. He was just behind me. You know, he does that sometimes. Wanders off without saying anything. But I know he'll find me. But how have you both been? How's the search going on for your forever home?" Luka asked.

"It went well. We found a house about a month after we met you, and bought it. We just finished having it remodeled. So now we have our forever home." I replied.

"That sounds great. I can't wait to see it. That is, if Marvelous and I are still invited, of course." Luka said.

"Of course!" I said.

"You're more than welcome." Evie said.

That was when Marvelous walked up.

"Hey." he said.

"Hi." I said.

"Hello." Evie said.

"Wow. Haven't you got prettier." Marvelous said to me.

"Thanks." I said.

"Where have you been?" Luka asked him.

"Inside, at their deli. This store makes great chicken." Marvelous replied.

He was holding a clear plastic container that had four pieces of fried chicken. Five, including the one he was currently eating.

"You went inside without me?!" Luka asked.

"I'm hungry."

"You can't just do things without telling me!"

"I do what I want." Marvelous said as he took another bite.

Luka scoffed and turned back to us with a smile.

"So, when would be a good time to visit you?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" Marvelous asked.

"Well, if you were here, you would know that our friends have their forever home." Luka said.

"Oh, so you found your treasure?" Marvelous asked.

"We have." Evie replied.

"And they had it remodeled, so it looks nicer than when they bought it." Luka said.

"Yeah? Well it can't be nicer than where we live." Marvelous said.

"Yeah? And where do you live?" Evie asked.

Marvelous smiled and pointed to a large grassy field behind the store. And in a viewable distance was their red three masted galleon spaceship.

"How did we not see that before?" Evie asked.

Evie and Luka talked a bit more, while I was out of it, only staring at the galleon. That's when something hit me.

"I think I have a way." I said.

"What?" Evie asked me.

"I thought of a way to have them come over here." I said.

"What are you talking about?" Evie asked.

"I found a way to have our family come over during their fall break." I said.

"How?" Evie asked.

I know this is kind of a crazy idea. But, I believe it's the simplest solution. I approached Marvelous, hoping he'll be okay with my proposition I'm about to give him.

"Marvelous, I know this is the second time we've met, but I'd like to ask you a favor." I said.

"Favor?" Luka asked.

"Pirates don't do favors." Marvelous said while folding his arms.

"I know. But I'm asking you, just this once. It would mean a lot to me if you did." I said.

"Mal, what are you trying to ask?" Evie asked, knowing I was kind of hesitating a bit because I'm afraid of how he may respond.

"What I'm trying to ask is: would you travel to Auradon and bring my family here so they can visit me and Evie during their fall break from school?"

I braced myself on the inside, hoping he won't automatically say "no".

"Why can't you go back to Auradon and get them yourselves?" Marvelous asked.

Okay, not an instant no.

"Because, well, it's not that we can't. But I'm not very welcomed there right now. Nor am I too popular. Evie and I are kind of runaways. I'm a wanted person there, while Evie is a missing person." I replied.

"I don't understand."

"Long story short, Mal had beaten up this...girl, who pretty much gets what she wants, provoked Mal to no end. She provoked her by telling Mal lies and very mean things. So Mal beat her up badly. Unfortunately, this girl has a way of making Mal's life miserable. So Mal and I packed our things, got a yacht with the help of the small family we have and sailed here without anyone else knowing." Evie explained.

"I see. That's what you meant when you told us you were "having a dispute with some people". This girl, has she been provoking Mal for a long time?" Luka asked.

"Yes and no. But she was never really kind to Mal. Only to me." Evie explained.

"I understand now. You can't return back because you're a criminal there, and if you dare to step foot there, you will be locked up." Marvelous said.

"Or banished." I said.

Marvelous smiled and patted me on the shoulders.

"I like you, Mal. And your girlfriend. I understand your situation. So therefore, I guess I will be happy to get your family and bring them here." he said.

I felt so happy and relieved.

"Really? Thank you so much!" I said happily.

I instantly went up to Marvelous and gave him a tight hug.

"Okay, you're being too touchy." Marvelous said after a few moments.

I laughed and let him go.

"But you want me to beat up this girl for you? You just tell me who she is, and I'll find her and wreck her." Marvelous said.

Evie and I laughed nervously.

"No. That's okay. I just want you to get my family. That's all." I said.

"But one thing in return, I'll cook you both an amazing dinner." Evie said.

"Now you really have yourself a deal!" Marvelous exclaimed happily.

"So who, when and where in Auradon do we pick up?" Luka asked.

"We'll let you know soon enough. It isn't quite time yet. The fall break won't start until a few weeks from now." Evie said.

"Good idea, E. We'll need to call them and let them know beforehand so they can prepare." I said.

Luka nodded and Evie took a piece of paper out of her purse along with a pen and wrote down our address.

"Here is our address. You're really welcome over anytime. But we'll let you know when to get them." Evie said.

"Sounds good." Luka said.

After that we said our goodbyes for now and went our separate ways.

When we got back home, we put the groceries away from the car and Evie started making our dinner for that night: parmesan baked chicken breast. As Evie was getting things prepped, I stood behind the island, watching her getting the stovetop heated up. I then noticed the chicken sitting in front of me.

It looked so delicious. Fresh, juicy and it smelled delicious too. I wanted to eat it so much. I know I would just dig in and eat it like crazy. But I was willing to settle for a small piece. Like a part of a leg, or a wing. I decided to go for it and grabbed a corner of the lid of the container the chicken was in. But as I just barely pulled a part of the top off the container…

"Ah! Hands off the chicken!" Evie exclaimed loudly which made me jump back.

Evie walked over to me and closed the lid where I managed to open and grabbed the chicken and sat it on the counter where she was prepping.

"Bad girl! You stay away from it until I say so." Evie said sternly before a smile.

I raised my brows and looked away from her. Thinking "Okay. Whatever." Next to the spot where the chicken was, I saw a box of snickerdoodle cookies. I licked the side of my lip, eager to have one. But as I put my hands on the box, Evie's bracelet was thrown right at the box, which caused me to jump back away from the island again.

"Oh come on, Evie. Just let me have one cookie." I begged as she approached me to retrieve her bracelet.

"Alright, baby. You can have one..." Evie said.

"Yes!"

I grabbed the box and cut through the price label that was sealing it shut. But after I opened the box, Evie forced my hand to close it.

"After you eat a nutritious dinner!" Evie said.

"Geez, when did you become my wife?" I asked as I backed away from the island.

Evie stared at me for a moment before responding with a short laugh.

"Oh, you just wait until that day." she said.

I couldn't help but think Evie was playing a little game with me. I'm sure she was serious about me not having a cookie or a piece of chicken, but the rest was all fun.

* * *

**A/N: Great news! I got an idea on how to keep this story going for a little bit longer! So there will be more to look forward to.**

**But, I hope you don't mind this and a couple more appearances from Marvelous and Luka. Several chapters back, Evie did say she would like to invite them over, and I didn't feel right about leaving that out. Anyway, more to come soon!**


	60. A Thought For Evie

_A Thought For Evie_

[_Elegance Industries. 5:45 pm_]

Evie's POV

Three days later I fully recovered from my jet lag and was happy to be working again. My shift began at nine and now almost nine hours later, it's coming to an end. At this time I was finishing up the last errand I was running for Gabi. I had to deliver some papers to the design team on the second floor of the building. After I got off the elevator, I walked in on the design team engaged in a heated argument.

"You don't know colors if it looked you in the face!"

"Are you calling me blind?!"

"No! I'm saying you can't see nothing!"

"That's calling me blind, you idiot!"

I thought to myself whether or not I should get myself involved. But since I'm here, I might as well.

"Hey! Hey! What is going on here?!" I asked aloud.

They stopped arguing and all of a sudden started acting good. Probably because they know I'm Gabi's assistant.

"We were just…having a conversation." responded one guy.

"Obviously. But that's not all. What led to you all yelling at each other?" I asked.

The team showed me different designs for a new line of men's suits. But they seemed to have trouble deciding on the texture and colors of the suits. I placed the papers I had to deliver on the desk next to me and took a deep breath.

"Okay, this is your department. I'm not going to tell you what to do except you need to get yourselves back together. Apologize to each other, and then work together to figure this out. You all are very creative. I know you can figure this out." I said.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, off you go." I said.

I turned and walked back to the elevator. As I pressed the button to go down, I heard the team apologizing to each other just as I told them to. After I was in the elevator going down, I smiled to myself as I felt proud of myself for what I've done.

[_Downtown Vancouver. 6:35 pm_]

After I left work, I headed to the downtown area. This city is absolutely gorgeous. And the shopping is so diverse here. I don't think Mal could have picked a better place. Anyway, I went there because I have a coupon for a jewelry store that expires soon. I know, like I need more jewelry. I'm not going to buy a whole bunch. Maybe just one or two things. Maybe one thing for me and one thing for Mal. I don't know. Depends on what is available and the price.

I parked the car at a spot near a parking meter that was off to the side of the road by the building's entrance. After putting in enough change that gave me an hour, I headed to the entrance. A swift gust of wind blew past me as I touched the door handle. It really is getting cold. I delayed no longer getting inside. After I walked in, I was amazed by the look of the store. It didn't seem cheap, that's for sure.

As I was taking a moment to look around me, a man, dressed in a nice suit, approached me.

"Hello, miss. Welcome in. Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked.

"I'm just looking around. I stopped by because I got a coupon which expires soon. So I thought I'd stop in and have a look to see what you offer." I replied.

"It's an excellent day to stop in, miss. If there's anything I can help you with, feel free to let me know."

"Thank you."

The man walked away and I began my stroll on looking at some necklaces that were displayed behind glass countertops. I saw some very pretty ones. A little on the expensive side. Some around a thousand dollars, but I can see it would be worth it. I did see one necklace that did get my attention. But keeping it in my mind, I continued on.

I eventually made my way to the rings section, and that section is what got me. One particular ring, in fact. An engagement ring. One that was three thousand dollars. A ring that was silver with a small purple amethyst as it's center stone. Then I had the thought of what Mal said to me a few nights ago:

"_When did you become my wife?_"

She was being sarcastic, of course. But Mal and I had a few thoughts on getting married. We've been through so much in the one year we've been together. One year though. Is it too soon? I don't know. Some people do get engaged after one year of dating. Others two. Others three. It all depends on how strong your love is for one another. And whether you're ready or not.

I stared at the ring for a few moments until the man who approached me earlier, walked up to me again.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked.

I sighed and stepped back from the glass counter.

"I'm just deep in thought, that's all. You see, I've been dating this wonderful girl for over a year now. And we both love each other very much. Very much to the point where we could get married. We both thought about it a couple times and I'm just trying to decide if...well...I would like to do this. It's just, I'm trying to decide if the right time is upon us to ask. If that makes any sense."

It's funny. You would think Mal would propose to me. But with everything she has done with the house, I'd like to do something nice for her.

"I just need a few minutes to myself." I added.

"Of course. Take your time."

He walked away and I stared back at the ring, beginning to reminisce about everything that has happened lately. We both did nice things for each other. It almost feels like we're, I don't want to say competing, but one of us does something nice, and the other feels it needs to be paid back with something else. Like, I bought the house. So Mal pays me back with it's fantastic remodel. But now I feel like paying her back for the remodel.

I know none of that is necessary, but I can't help but feel that way. But one thing is for sure, if I do get this engagement ring and if I do decide to propose to Mal, it won't be because I want to pay her back, it'll be because I truly love her. And I do believe we would be ready for marriage. But I can't just buy the ring and ask her. I got to be like Mal when she got the idea of living in Canada: I would need to thoroughly plan this out.

[_False Creek. 7:10 pm_]

I left the jewelry store promising that I'll be back. I'm not sure why, but after thinking about proposing to Mal, it made me sick to my stomach. Not a feeling of "Oh my god! I could never do that!". More like "Would Mal even want to get married soon?". I felt very nervous about that thought. I drove to a park that was located at a shore of a short inlet that also had a nice view of the tall city buildings. It was starting to get dark and the lights of the city were starting to turn on.

I sat on a bench that was faced in the direction of the inlet, only pondering. I would love to get married to Mal as I told my mother once when I was on the Isle trying to save Mal from her spell. Oh, if only she could see how Mal and I are today. Anyway, I would love to get married to her, as I know she would love to be married to me. But the key question is now a good time? Not now now. But soon.

"Damn, why is this so difficult to figure out?!" I asked aloud.

A little too loud, but luckily no one was around to hear me. It's a big life decision, that's for sure. One that I would love to take. And I know Mal would as well. Okay, Evie. You're saying the same thing over again. Calm down.

"I think I will have to do what Mal did with me when her dream of living in Canada was still a secret." I said to myself.

All of a sudden, I heard my phone ring. I took it out of my purse and saw it was Mal. Without hesitation, I answered the call.

"Hi, Mal." I greeted.

"_Evie? Where are you?_"

"I'm in downtown."

"_Are you busy?_"

"No."

"_Then hurry home. I just finished making dinner._"

"Alright, I'm on my way."

I hung up and hurried back to my car. I felt better and excited to get back home to my beautiful girl.


	61. Commencing Evie's Plan

_Commencing Evie's Plan_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 6:30 am_]

Evie's POV

The next morning, I woke up to my alarm at six thirty. I stretched and yawned before turning to my side and looking at a sleeping Mal. We were both naked under the sheets due to me wanting to make a lot of love to her last night. And I saw it last night: we are destined to get married.

"Mal. Wake up, baby girl." I said.

Mal groaned and turned over away from me which made me smile at her.

"Okay, I'll let you sleep in." I whispered.

I gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, then carefully got out of bed. I slipped my nightdress on, grabbed my phone, and quietly left the room.

After making myself some coffee, I walked to the four seasons room and sat in the swing, looking at the sunrise while drinking my coffee. As I was drinking and watching the sunrise, I was doing a third thing: pondering. Pondering about marriage. Mal and are are definitely ready for marriage. Okay, now that I got that all settled, here's the next thing: how should I propose to Mal? When, where and how? I looked to my left where the backyard is and thought of something.

I got up from the swing and walked out of the room and past the steps leading to the ground. The grass felt a little wet on my bare feet, but I didn't care. Normally, I would've, but I wasn't going to let anything distract me from my thought. I walked to the gazebo Mal had built and looked at it before walking under.

"What if I were to propose to Mal here? At night? Where the stars and the beautiful city lights are visible."

Okay, that's a great idea.

"But when?"

As I sat down in a chair, I looked at my phone. I was about to search the internet for ideas on how to best propose when I noticed Mal walking up to me. She was wearing her nightdress with a blanket wrapped around her.

"What are you doing out here so early?" Mal asked.

"Just enjoying what my love did for me." I lied as I hid my phone underneath my right thigh. Mal smiled, then sat on me and covered our bodies with the blanket.

"I'm surprised you're not cold." she said.

"I am a little. But you'll warm me right up." I said before kissing her on the forehead.

We kissed a few times on the lips, moaning a bit after each one.

"You know. I love the new hair and the clothes. But I must say, I'm a little surprised to see you still wearing this nightdress." I said.

"Of course I'm still wearing it. You made it for me. I'm never going to stop wearing it." Mal said.

"Yeah, but I've made some of your clothes in Auradon. And you've stopped wearing them." I said.

"True. But, I'm not planning on getting rid of them either." Mal said.

Hearing that put a smile on my face.

"So tell me more, E."

"More what?"

"More about your trip."

"Oh yeah! I haven't had a chance to tell you more about it." I said.

"Well, now's a good time." Mal said.

"Okay. Snuggle close." I said.

Mal repositioned herself on me to hear my story.

"Okay, our room was at a fancy hotel. A five star hotel actually located not far from the Eiffel Tower." I said.

"I remember the pictures you sent me. Did you have a hard time going to sleep without me?" Mal asked.

"A little bit. But I pretended you were laying next to me and it helped. And, I actually dreamed of you and I having sex in that room."

Mal laughed.

"I bet you did." she said with a smile.

"Anyway, the convention was really exciting. There were clothing companies and makeup companies of the world coming together in one place. It was really something."

"I bet. What did Gabi have you do there?"

"I followed her around the place, carrying things for her. But I also got to meet and talk with a lot of people as well. Some of them even gave me some tips and ideas for sewing. Some of which I can pass to you." I said.

"And you might be able to reopen your business some time." Mal said.

"I'm counting on it. Still, no rush though."

"Right."

A brief gust of wind brough shivers to us both.

"Let's go back inside." I said.

After Mal got off me, I got up, grabbed my phone and we walked closely next to each other with the blanket around us, back to the house.

Mal kindly helped me make breakfast in the kitchen.

"So, what are you going to do today?" I asked her.

Mal shrugged.

"Don't know. Now that my dream is accomplished, I'm not sure what to do now." Mal replied.

"Well, maybe you can think of another dream. You're not stopping here." I said.

"I know. I'm sure I'll think of something else."

"Me too." I said.

I gave her a nice kiss on the lips before placing some scrambled eggs on two plates. I told Mal some more about my trip in Paris. And after eating, it was seven thirty, and I needed to get myself ready for work. After putting on a bra and panties, I walked to our closet to find a shirt, when I got an idea for Mal.

"Hey, Mal?"

"Yes, Evie?"

"I know one thing you can do today. Call Carlos and tell him to tell the others that we're wanting them to come over for fall break. And that we'll have our friends pick them up and bring them here." I said.

"Good idea, E! I'll do that." Mal said happily.

"Good girl."

I gave her a kiss and finished on getting ready. After I was ready, Mal walked me downstairs to the foyer where I grabbed my purse and car keys, and then she walked me to the garage.

"Have a good day, E." Mal said.

"I'm sure I will. Hey, I got tomorrow off. So we'll have some fun tomorrow." I said.

"Sounds good. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye."

We kissed once more before I got in my car and left.

[_Downtown Vancouver. 5:56 pm_]

Work went well today. No arguments to break up this time. It was a really good day. After I left Elegance Industries, I returned back to the jewelry store. I thought a lot about the ring during my shift today, and I've made my decision. I'm not going to hesitate any longer. I'm getting it for Mal.

So I went to the store, told them that I was going to buy the ring, in full on the spot, since we still have a lot of money, which made them so happy they treated me like a guest of honor. After going through the process of buying the ring, I returned back to the park where the inlet was and walked to a private area where there weren't any people around, trying to think again on how to proceed with my plan.

"Oh, what would be the best way to propose to Mal?" I asked aloud as I sat on the bottom step of some stairs.

"You're going to propose to Mal?" a female voice asked.

Startled, I quickly turned and saw Luka at the top of the stairs.

"Luka?! Oh no. How much did you hear?" I asked.

"All of it. But hey, don't worry. I'll keep your secret a secret." Luka said as she walked down to me.

"Where's Marvelous?" I asked.

"He's on the ship. I went out to get something to eat. But what's this I hear about you wanting to propose to Mal?" she asked.

"It's a friendship wedding." I replied hastily.

Luka smirked as she knew I was lying. She quickly grabbed the ring box right out of my hand.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

I tried to get it back, but Luka walked away from me a bit as she opened the box to look at the ring.

"Oh wow. I like this."

I stood up and frowned at her. Knowing she's a pirate, I was afraid she was going to run off with it. But Luka sensed what I was thinking. So she closed the box and kindly handed it back to me.

"Relax, Evie. I wasn't going to steal it. You're my friend. I wouldn't do that. But I knew you weren't going to let me look at it either."

I sighed, admitting I wasn't.

"It's a beautiful ring. And I think it's perfect for her."

"You do?" I asked.

"Absolutely. But you gotta tell me. When and where are you going to pop the question? How are you going to do it? You got something special planned out?" Luka asked happily.

She was all excited about it. Unfortunately my answer isn't going to be exciting.

"I don't know. I don't know how I'm going to ask her." I replied.

"Huh?!" Luka exclaimed.

"I kind of know when and where. I thought about asking her when our family from Auradon is here. I thought of having a party and at the end of the party, when it'll be night time, I thought about proposing to her underneath this gazebo we got." I said.

Luka nodded.

"Okay. That's a good start. I like where you're going with this. But there's some holes you need to fill, Evie. There's some details you're missing." she said.

"I know. And I got less than a couple weeks to get it all planned out."

"Well, can I be of any help?" Luka asked.

"Oh would you? Please? I would ask my sisters in Auradon, but I want this to be a surprise to them as well. And aside from my boss, who's also my friend, but I couldn't really talk about it with her, it wouldn't be too professional, you're the only other female friend I have here." I said.

"Interesting way of putting it, but I would love to help you. Tomorrow, I'll call my sister Ahim."

"Ahim?"

"Yeah! She's already engaged. So she'll be the perfect one to ask for advice on this kind of thing. I have a few ideas, but I'll see what she says first."

"Oh, Luka, thank you so much." I said as I hugged her.

"Of course, Evie." Luka said as she hugged me back.

Afterwards, Luka walked me to my car.

"I still have that paper you gave me that has your address on it. Would it be cool to drop by tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah! I'm off from work tomorrow, so come by anytime."

"Cool!"

"Thank you so much, Luka. I can tell you this right now. You're definitely invited to the wedding."

"I look forward to it."

[_Mal and Evie's home. 7:02 pm_]

I returned back home after a long day. Not a long day at work, but a long day in general. After walking in from the garage, Mal ran up to me and instantly hugged me.

"Evie!"

"Mal. Hi, baby."

"You're home later than I thought. Did you have to work late?"

"Umm…"

I can't tell Mal I bought her a ring. Nor can I tell her that I ran into Luka and talked. Well, I probably could, but Mal is going to ask what we were talking about.

"I did have to work a bit over. And I didn't tell you. I'm sorry for worrying you."

And I'm sorry I have to tell these lies.

"It's okay, Evie. I forgive you. Come, I made us dinner." Mal said.

Mal led me to the kitchen where there was some hot spaghetti and meatballs being kept warm in a pot on the stove. And it smelled really delicious.

"You're a really good cook, Mal. It smells delicious." I said.

"Well, I learned from the best." Mal said.

After filling our plates with the yummy goodness, Mal and I sat across from each other at the dining room table, enjoying Mal's meal.

"This is really good. You definitely did a splendid job. The cheese and flavor? Mmm!" I said.

"I know, right? This almost tastes as good as you." Mal said.

"What?" I asked

"Hmm?" Mal asked, pretending not to know anything.

I rolled my eyes and used my fork to take a bite of a meatball, while laughing a bit on the inside. I love Mal so very much. And with the ring in a small box which is in my jacket pocket that I was wearing right then, I wanted to ask her on the spot. But I know I must wait.

"_Patience, Evie. The time will come soon enough._"


	62. Back At Auradon

_Back At Auradon_

[_Carlos and Jay's dorm room. 9:30 am_]

Carlos' POV

The weekend has arrived and Jay and I have begun preparing for our fall break which will happen in nine days. Mal called yesterday and told me and Jay about what was going to happen, and we were beyond thrilled to hear about it. We have yet to tell the girls, but it won't be long before we do. The four of us plan on hanging out in our dorm room today anyway, so it'll be perfect timing to tell them.

It was almost ten when we got to the girls side of the dorms. We went to Lonnie's room first to pick her up, then we went to Jane's. Jane was really excited and baked us some treats earlier in the morning. There were four good size containers of cookies and chocolates. Jay and I carried them for her. After we walked out of Jane's room, and I closed the door behind me, we ran into Audrey in the hallway.

"Good morning, Carlos. Good morning, Jay. Good morning, Jane. Good morning, Lonnie." Audrey greeted.

"Good morning." I said.

"Morning." Jay said.

"Good morning." Lonnie and Jane said.

"How are you all doing this beautiful morning?" Audrey asked.

"We're good." I replied.

"Very good. How are you, Audrey?" Lonnie asked.

"Oh, I'm good as well. Where are you guys off to?" Audrey asked kindly.

"We're going to Carlos and Jay's room. We're going to play some games." Jane replied.

"Yeah. We're calling it our own little family day. But it's more like a family weekend." Lonnie said.

"Family." Audrey muttered.

"What's that?" I asked.

Audrey shook her head.

"Oh nothing. I said "family" because I just remembered I have something I'll need to take care of with my grandmother. But would it be alright if I join you?" Audrey asked.

That was a real shocker to hear. Audrey? Wanting to spend time with us?

"Oh, you wouldn't really want to hang out with us." I said.

"Yeah. Aren't Carlos and I not your favorite kind of people anyway?" Jay asked.

"Well...not anymore. I've grown to...like you both.."

Audrey wasn't lying, it was just hard for her to say it. She's still in some pain after Evie's disappearance. It's hard to say this and believe, but Audrey is trying to be a nicer person to us.

"It's alright. It was wrong of me to ask like that. You obviously already have plans set in stone, and I shouldn't intrude. So, don't mind me. You four have a great day." she added.

Audrey gave a quick bow before walking past us down the hallway. We looked at each other with curiosity, not understanding what just happened. But we moved past it and we walked to our room.

"Who wants to be the first to try my chocolates?" Jane asked.

"Ooh, I do!" I said.

Jane really knows how to bake sweets and treats. It's just one of the many reasons I fell in love with her. I grabbed a chocolate truffle and took a bite.

"Well?"

"It's delicious, Jane." I said.

Jane smiled.

"Let me try one!" Jay said.

Jay grabbed one and took a bite as well.

"Oh my god. Jane, you are awesome!" he exclaimed.

Jane showed a bigger smile as Lonnie tried one for herself.

"Very delicious." she said.

"Thanks, guys. I'm glad you like them." Jane said.

Jane blushed as I gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"So, what's on you boys' activity list?" Lonnie asked.

"Well we thought about-"

"Oh no!" Jane exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I forgot my basket. I left it in my room. It has a couple more goodies I made for us."

"Oh. That's alright, Jane. I can go get it for you." I offered.

"Oh, really? Thank you, Carlos."

"Of course." I said before giving Jane another kiss and hurting out of the room.

"Hurry back!" Jay shouted.

I ran all the way to the stairs in the main entrance, but as I got to the bottom of the stairs, I ran into Audrey.

"Carlos? Where are you off to in such a hurry?" she asked.

She was surprised to see me, yet happy as well.

"I need to get to Jane's room to get something she forgot. Now if you'll excuse me..."

"Wait!" Audrey exclaimed, grabbing a hold of my arm.

"What?" I asked.

"May I talk to you? Just for a couple minutes. Please?"

I knew I wasn't going to be able to get away, so I sighed and nodded yes.

"Thank you. I was thinking about earlier when Lonnie said you guys were having a family day together."

"Yes. So?"

I wanted her to hurry up and get to the point. I have others waiting on me.

"Well, when family was mentioned, I was thinking about, well, your family." Audrey said.

"Audrey, please get to the point. I don't have much time." I said.

"Alright. I get right to it. You know where Mal and Evie are, don't you?" she asked.

How did she figure that out? Man, do I regret asking.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"You and Jay are like brothers to them. I've seen the kind of relationship you four have. You four are your own family. But then you're dating Jane and Lonnie, so they're part of the family too." Audrey said.

"Yes, but again, what makes you say that we know where Mal and Evie are?"

"Because you four are the only ones that would know where Mal and Evie are. They would never just disappear and not say anything to you."

"And what if we do know where they are?! What are you going to do about it?! Run to Ben and tell him that we know?!" I asked sternly.

Audrey grabbed and held my hands and looked me directly in the eyes.

"No. I wouldn't do that. It wouldn't bring them back. It wouldn't make any difference." she said.

"They're not dead, Audrey. They're fine." I said, being a bit annoyed at what she had just said as I jerked my hands away from hers.

"No, that's not at all what I meant. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. What I meant was-"

"It's alright. I'll tell you. If it'll keep you satisfied. Yes, we know where they are. We keep in touch with them. Evie has taken Mal to a place away from here because of you. After Mal beat you up that night, Evie was concerned about Mal's safety. And what would be in store for her. So Jay, Lonnie, Jane and I helped pack their belongings so they can move away from here. All because of you." I said.

That really got to Audrey. The truth really can hurt, especially when it involves guilt. And to her, it should.

"I know. I mean I know they disappeared because of me." she said.

"Good. Because they're not coming back. Mal and Evie are living a very happy life together. Honestly, I hate how cruel you were to Mal, but I am grateful that you did what you did. Because ever since they left, great things have been happening to Mal. And Evie could not be living a happier life. Not even with you."

I glared at Audrey before walking away, swiftly ending the conversation.

[_Fairy Cottage. 12:15 pm_]

Audrey's POV

Wanting to truly be by myself, I ran to the Fairy Cottage. No one lives there now. Only I am there occasionally. It's kind of my third home, with Auroria being my first. After feeling cold from the cold October air, I started a fire in the fireplace after I walked in. After feeling warmed up and the rest of the home warming up, I laid on a couch nearby, thinking about the things I've said to Mal.

"_One day, Mal. One day, your relationship with Evie will end._"

"_I'm sure that one day Evie will grow tired of you and will want to part from you. Besides, she deserves better anyway._"

But that wasn't as nearly as mean as what I told her later on.

"_Evie should leave you! She should leave you and be with someone like me! And when Evie and I are together, everyone will be so fascinated by us that they'll forget about you. You'll be all alone in this world. You have no family. No one will love you. You might as well just run away and die. Because who would take care of you? Certainly not your mother._"

Looking back at that, I felt totally disgusted with myself. How could I say something that horrific? That is what pushed Mal over the edge. That is what caused her to beat me up.

"_You do deserve to die! You should've! Yes, Evie would've been heartbroken at first, but she would be grateful because she would soon find out what a bitch you are!_"

"_Enjoy your final days of freedom, Mal. Because on Monday, you will be in a world of punishment!_"

Okay, stop. I get it. I'm a horrible person. I'm the bitch. Many times, I don't have the qualities of a princess. After Carlos told me he knows where Mal and Evie are, normally I would run off to Ben and tell him. But that's not me anymore. Carlos says Mal and Evie are very happy where they are. And if that's so, then I'll accept it. And I won't do anything to try and interfere with that.

I loved Evie very much. I had a huge crush on her. I'll always love her in my heart, but she's happier with Mal. And I guess Mal makes her happy. Evie's having a better life than she could with me. And that's something I'll accept as well. I won't tell anyone what Carlos told me. Not Ben, nobody.

And with Jane dating Carlos and Lonnie dating Jay, they're going to be more involved and spending time with them, they won't really have time for me.

I feel alone. Maybe I was talking about myself when I told Mal she'll be all alone in this world. Perhaps this is my punishment for the things I've said and done. And the things I haven't done. Like being a good person.


	63. Friends Helping Friends

_Friends Helping Friends_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 9:00 am_]

Mal's POV

The next morning arrived. Evie and I got up and started our day off by taking a shower together. After Evie had the water temperature set, I joined her and we held each other closely while feeling the water spraying out of the shower head onto us like a waterfall. I looked at Evie's body as Evie looked at mine.

"You're so perfect, E. Everything about you is just so perfect." I said.

"I know. And I feel the same way about you, M. You're perfect as well."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. Without any doubt. Or any hesitation to think so."

We smiled at each other before kissing on the lips. The feeling started to become erotic. We wanted to make love to each other desperately. And we were going to. I had Evie lay on her back in the shower. She put her hands above her face to keep the water from spraying her in the face until I was over her.

"Okay, baby. Your move."

We engaged in many kisses. As we were, I moved one hand down to Evie's private area, while my other hand was on her cheek, keeping her still as we were kissing. Evie instantly liked how I was touching her and she began to do the same thing to me. Moans filled the room as we were doing each other. I did Evie so good, a sexy moan escaped from her as she hit her climax within a short time.

"I love it when I make you...you know." I said.

"Yeah. I can never get enough of it." Evie said.

"Wanna do me now?" I asked.

Evie smiled and nodded. She had me lay on my back and she began to work her, ahem, magic on me. I continued to lay down, enjoying what Evie was doing to me.

"Look at me, baby." she said.

I raised my head and saw the beautiful girl in front of me.

"My gosh, E. You are so pretty."

And at that moment, I hit my own climax. Evie gave me a taste after I finished and I couldn't take her expression seriously.

"You're good." she said.

I stood up and made Evie squeal as I lifted her up and held her.

"Oh wow! Never knew you were so strong." Evie said.

"Well, not trying to be corny, but, you're the source of my strength." I said.

"I don't think it is." Evie said with a kiss.

I sat Evie down gently and did what Evie just did to me. I gave her privates a taste, which in words sounds wrong, but it feels so right, and we've been doing it to each other every time we have sex. Anyway, after we were done having sex, we took turns applying soap to each other's body and then rinsed ourselves off. And lastly, we dried each other off, applied our makeup and everything, and got dressed.

Evie's POV

After we were dressed, we headed downstairs to the kitchen to have breakfast.

"So what are we going to do today?" Mal asked which made me stop in my tracks.

Oh no. I've been so caught up with making love to Mal, I did not think this through. Our friends could show up at any time and I don't know what to tell her. I guess I should tell Mal a little bit about yesterday.

"Actually, Mal. I forgot to tell you this yesterday, but I ran into Luka. And we talked a bit." I said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And she said she and Marvelous are coming over."

"Really? When?"

"Today. But they didn't say what time."

"Okay…"

Mal wasn't understanding everything I was telling her. Because I wasn't telling her everything. But I can't. Gosh, is this what Mal went through? I'm surprised she hasn't picked that up yet. Yet. There's still time.

"You know how they can be. They're pirates. They've got that "we do what we want" and "when we want" kind of attitude. Remember? We used to be just like that. Rebellious. Breaking the rules." I said.

"I remember." Mal said.

"Yes, well. We'll have to be ready for them. Even if it's all day. Anyway, I'll get breakfast started." I said happily.

Okay, Evie. That was good. Really good.

"Well, I called Carlos and spoke to him and Jay. I told them about what we're going to do. I told them we're going to have our friends pick them up and bring them here. They know it all. And they're really excited." Mal said.

"As are we. Nine days away. I cannot wait." I said.

"Me either."

"Well, our house is ready for them, thanks to you." I said.

Mal gave a playful bow.

"We'll need to get some things in order to throw a proper party, though. But this is going to be so much fun." I said.

"Indeed it will."

Many hours passed as we waited for our friends to arrive. What really makes it hard is we can't contact them. Based on what we seen of their phones, which look like no phone on Earth, I don't believe, even if we had their numbers, our phones wouldn't be able to call theirs. So throughout the day, I started on making dinner. Starting with the dishes that will take the longest to make, including an apple pie.

It was then about four o'clock, when we heard the doorbell ring.

"Oh! That must be them." I said.

I hurried to the front door and eagerly opened it.

"Hey, guys!" I said.

"Hey." Luka said.

"Yo." Marvelous said.

"Come on in! I'm glad you can make it." I said.

"Well, we weren't doing anything else really." Luka said.

I closed the door behind them and walked with them in the foyer.

"Hi." Mal said as she stood by the fish tank.

"Hey, you." Luka said.

"Nice fish." Marvelous said.

Marvelous walked with Mal into the living room, thinking Luka and I were following them. But we weren't. Instead, Luka pulled me aside.

"It would be best of we can get Mal out of the house for a bit." she whispered.

"I know. I was thinking the same thing." I whispered back.

"But how?"

I thought for a moment. Then I had an idea.

"I know. Just follow my lead." I said.

"And this is our kitchen." Mal said to Marvelous.

"Impressive." Marvelous said as Luka and I walked up to them.

Now is as good a time as any.

"Hey, baby?" I said.

"Yeah, sweetness?"

"Can you do me a huge favor?"

"Of course. What's up?" Mal asked.

"Can you go to the store for me while I start making dinner?" I asked.

"Sure. But you already started on making dinner." Mal said.

"Yes, I know. But I need to do a couple more things. I realized I never got us anything special to drink tonight." I said.

Please just go with this one last time.

"Um, okay. Sure, Evie. What should I get?" Mal asked.

I need to keep her distracted for a little bit. Luka caught on to what I was trying to do.

"Hey, Mal, since you're going to the store. Would you mind getting me a few things? Nothing big. Just a few small things." she said.

"Sure." Mal said.

"I'll get a list started." I said.

I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started writing down some things. Things we didn't really need, but it was things we needed to keep her distracted. I gave Mal my debit card from my purse and Luka gave her some cash.

"Okay, I'll go get my jacket." Mal said.

After she went upstairs, Luka called Marvelous over to her.

"Go with her." she said.

"What?" Marvelous asked.

"You heard me. Go with her. Evie and I need to talk about you-know-what. And believe me, it's not something you would be interested in hearing. So go with her. And perhaps even stall her for a bit."

"Doing what?"

"I don't know. Maybe have a conversation with her. Get to know her a bit. Tell her about you and the adventures and fights we had. Do something."

"Can't I just stay here and-"

"Hey! You do this for me, and tonight, I'll show you a little more than what I showed you last night."

I raised my brows and smiled after hearing that.

"I'd take her up on that." I said.

Marvelous scoffed, but then showed a small smile.

"I do like her, so I guess I'll be alright."

"Of course it will be. Mal is a very fun person. You'll see." I said.

"Okay, I'm off." Mal said as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Alright, let's go." Marvelous said.

"Wait, what?" Mal asked.

"He is going to go with you." I said.

"Oh, um. Okay. Sure." Mal said.

"Evie and I will stay behind and get things prepared for dinner. You two will have no need to hurry." Luka said.

"Alright. Marvelous, have you ever rode in a car before?" Mal asked.

"Not that I can remember."

"Then let's go."

"Have a good time." I said.

I sighed after they left.

"Sorry. But I told him last night. I thought it would be best for our planning." Luka said.

"That's perfectly fine. But, how did you convince him to do it? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would hang out with just anyone." I said.

"Oh, he isn't."

"Then how did you convince him?" I asked.

Luka smiled as she looked around before looking back at me.

"I took my shirt off on the spot. That's what I meant when I said "I'll show you a little more than what I showed you last night." And that seemed to work. I believe I can get him to do things if I show him some skin."

I smiled and laughed.

"Alright. Follow me upstairs. I'll take you to my bonus room." I said.

"Wow. This is some room." Luka said as I let her walk in first.

"Thanks. Mal did this for me. I'm into sewing, so that's why there's sewing material all around. It's my sewing room slash office." I said.

"Pretty cool."

We both took a chair at my desk.

"First off, Ahim told me to tell you that she is happy for you and she wishes you all the happiness in the world." Luka said.

"Aw. Tell her I said thanks." I said.

"Will do."

"Okay. So what are her ideas?"

"Well, it obviously needs to be romantic. You should start off by telling her that you love her, but don't say too much where it would give it away on what you're trying to do." Luka said.

"Right. Because that would totally ruin the surprise." I said.

"Okay, here's what she told me."

Luka began explaining some things her sister told her. But the more and more I think about proposing to Mal, it made me very nervous again. And I started panicking a bit.

"I can't do this. What if she says no? And If she says no, then I'd just end up embarrassing myself in front of my whole family." I said.

"Evie, you're stressing out too much."

"I know. But, what do I do? How can I get rid of this stress? If Mal says no, then that's the end of the line. Our relationship will forever be altered. Nothing will be the same between us. And there will be nothing I can do about it." I said.

"Sure there is. Return the ring. Get your money back." Luka said.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"No! Of course not! Evie, listen to me. You're freaking out _way _too much, okay? I highly doubt Mal will say no to your marriage proposal. Okay, I don't know a lot about you both, but I can safely say I saw your love for one another, and I think you both went through a lot based on what you told me about your trouble at your former home." Luka said.

"Yeah." I said.

"And you both live in this beautiful home. I can't see one reason why Mal would say no."

I sighed.

"You're right. Mal has no reason to say no. I'm just freaking out too much that's all. Mal loves me. She loves me so much. And I love her so much. We were both meant for each other." I said.

"That's the spirit." Luka said.

"And you want to know something? This house, what you've seen of it, the kitchen, foyer, living room, and this room? Especially the kitchen."

"What about it?"

"Well, not too long after we bought the house, I had a business trip to Paris, and while I was gone, Mal had the whole house renovated and surprised me when I returned. "

"She did?"

"She did. She called me her "sweetness" as she walked down the stairs in her new look she has now."

"She does love you. If she loved you enough to do that, then she will love you enough to marry you." Luka said.

"You're right, Luka. She will." I said.

Luka then began to tell me more ideas she's got from her sister. And after a few good ideas she gave me, I made my decision on one of them. I know how to propose to Mal. I know what to say and what to do.

After an hour and forty five minutes of talking, it was starting to get dark, and I knew I better get dinner started. Beef stroganoff will be the main course. Luka gave me a hand in preparing the meal. And about six o'clock, it was almost ready to serve. However, shortly after six, the doorbell was heard going off. I looked towards the foyer with confusion as Luka hit me on my side.

"You said we were your only friends here." she said.

"Well, you are." I said.

"Then who would be at the door?"

"I don't know. Unless it's my boss. But she would call beforehand." I said.

We walked to the front door together. After I opened the door, we got quite a surprise.

"Marvelous?!" Luka exclaimed.

Marvelous shushed her and pointed to a sleeping Mal, who was being carried by Marvelous along with a few bags of groceries.

"What is this?" Luka asked.

I opened the door wider so he could walk in.

"I believe I tired her out. But there's more bags in the car." Marvelous said.

I went out to the car to retrieve the other bags, then locked the car up as I closed the front door. Cold air was getting in the house fast. I took the bags to the kitchen, sat them on the counter by the sink, then I walked into the living room nearby to see Mal laying on the couch, still fast asleep.

"What did you guys do?" I asked.

"I did what I was supposed to. We got groceries, got to know each other, told her about the adventures you and I had, Luka. That's all."

"And that put her to sleep?" I asked.

"Well, I did teach her some things."

"Like?" Luka asked.

"How to be a pirate. I taught her the ways of pirating. You take what you want. Seize your dreams with your hand and don't let anyone tell you different."

"_Like she's never done that before_." I thought.

I walked into the kitchen to unpack the bags from the store.

"You drove a car?" Luka asked.

Marvelous shrugged.

"It wasn't that hard. Mal started saying she wasn't feeling well. So she told me about this medicine that could help her feel better. And I guess it helps her, but it makes her fall asleep too."

"Seriously?" Luka asked.

"Well he's right. There's a box of antihistamines in a bag here. It seems her allergies were bothering her. That's normal though. She does get a little ill when very cold weather starts."

"See? You doubted me didn't you?" Marvelous asked Luka.

"What? No, of course not! I knew you were telling the truth." Luka said.

"Sure..."

After all that, Mal started to wake up. Marvelous and Luka started checking out our house to make the time pass until I was finished filling everyone's plates. And we were alone for the time being. Mal opened her gorgeous green eyes to me being the first thing she sees.

"Hey, Mal." I said.

"Sweetness? Hi." Mal said.

"How are you feeling, baby?"

"Better. My nose doesn't feel congested or my head feeling heavy anymore."

"Well that's good. Marvelous took really good care of you." I said.

"He did. You know, underneath all that self centeredness, he is a really nice guy. He doesn't always show it, but he is." Mal said.

"I picked up on that too. But did you have fun?"

"I did."

"That's good. You can tell me what you guys did later. In the meantime, I almost got dinner ready." I said.

"What are you making again?" Mal asked.

"Beef stroganoff. Along with some side dishes." I replied.

"Oh, that sounds delicious."

"It's going to be."

I gave Mal a kiss on the lips before walking back into the kitchen to finish loading up our plates. Beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes, green beans and for desert, the apple pie. Mal sat up on the couch and looked at Marvelous, who was returning back to the living room. He sat on the loveseat with Luka as I walked back into the living room.

"Thanks for helping me out. It means a lot." Mal said to him.

"No worries." Marvelous said.

"I have to say, I noticed something about you the way you took care of me. Deep down inside, you're a really nice guy." Mal said.

"Huh?!" Marvelous exclaimed, not entirely fond of what Mal just said.

That put a smile to my face.

"I've wondered, how old are you guys?" I asked.

"Twenty six." Luka replied.

"Thirty." Marvelous replied.

"Wow, thirty. How does that feel?" Mal asked.

Marvelous shrugged before Luka gave him a kiss.

"He'll age faster than me. But I love him anyway. I'm guessing you two are in your late teens?" Luka said.

"We are." I replied.

"So. When will dinner be ready?" Marvelous asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

I laughed and began walking back into the kitchen.

"It's ready." I replied.

"Alright!" Marvelous said happily.

The three took a seat at the table as I started bringing the plates to them. I lastly gave Mal's plate to her before sitting at the table with mine. No one talked, but it was enjoyable eating with them. And that's perfectly alright. Because my mind was somewhere else. I imagined myself and Mal along with our family and friends underneath that gazebo in the backyard.

"Evie, this was delicious. You are an amazing cook." Luka said after we finished eating.

"Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Marvelous didn't say anything. Instead, he was eating the last of the stroganoff on his plate. He jabbed the rest of it on his fork and pointed it at me.

"I like this. You really should join us." he said.

"That's very flattering. But my place is here." I said.

"Yeah. Besides, if she goes with you, then what about me?" Mal asked.

"You can come too." Luka replied.

"Yes, but-"

"Your place is here. I know. And I respect that." Luka said to me.

"Yeah." Marvelous agreed.

Afterwards, Mal and I walked them out to the front yard.

"So, the next time we'll see you is when we'll pick up your family." Marvelous said.

"In nine days." I said.

"Sounds good to me. We'll be here next Monday morning." Luka said.

"See ya." Marvelous said with a small wave.

"See ya." Mal said.

"Bye." I said.

Luka waved to us as Marvelous took out his phone and called their massive galleon ship to them. As it hovered above them, Mal and I watched as they grabbed the ropes that were sent down and then pulled them up into the ship. It's a good thing we live in a neighborhood where there aren't many houses around and the houses are far apart. Because there's no way they can do what they did in a neighborhood where the houses are close together. But I don't think anyone noticed all that anyway.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, everyone! So sorry for the long wait for the next chapter. I've had writer's block for the longest time on top of everything else that is going on. I hope all of you are doing okay. I'm back and I will do my best to update as soon as I can.**

**P.S. I thought one last chapter of Mal and Evie spending time with their friends was needed. But next up, the chapter you've been waiting for.**


	64. Finally! Reuniting With Our Family

_Finally! Reuniting With Our Family_

[_Mal and Evie's home. 10:00 am_]

Mal's POV

Nine days have finally passed. The day has arrived. It's the beginning of fall break at Auradon Prep and we're going to have our family over for the whole week. And we have planned out a pretty good way of celebrating the day.

Last week we learned that Monday, today, is Thanksgiving in Canada. It's still October, and Canada celebrates it this month, unlike us in Auradon and a lot of other countries across the world who celebrate it in November. But after some research, I found out Canada is not the only one who celebrates Thanksgiving in October. Quite interesting.

Anyway, Evie is going to cook a very fine feast for us. A Thanksgiving themed feast including a fifteen pound turkey. We got up and wasted no time getting ready for the big day.

"Oh, I am so excited! Today is the day! How about you, Mal? Are you excited?" Evie asked as we walked down the stairs.

"Of course I am! I'm thrilled. We're going to see Carlos and Jay. And Lonnie and Jane too." I replied.

"Yes. Our wonderful family. Oh, but there is so much to do. I need to start on the turkey. But then I will need to go to the store to pick out a dress to wear tonight. They'll close very early today. I haven't had time to do that because of work."

"It's a good thing that you don't have to work today." I said.

"Yes! And it's kind of Gabi to give me shorter shifts this week as well as three days off so I can spend more time with our family."

"That is." I said.

"Okay. I should start cooking. Mal, can you clean the house up a bit and get it ready for tonight?"

"I sure can."

"Good girl."

Evie gave me a kiss on the lips. Then the doorbell sounded off.

"Oh, they're here!" Evie exclaimed.

Evie hurried to the front door. The sound of her heel boots echoing in the foyer. She opened the door to see our friends on the other side.

"Hi guys! Good morning." Evie greeting.

"Morning." Luka said.

"Hey." Marvelous said.

"Come on in." Evie said as she opened the door wider.

"I bet you guys are excited." Luka said.

"Oh we are." I said.

"There is much we have to do to get ready for them tonight." Evie said.

"So, who do we need to retrieve?" Marvelous asked.

Evie walked over to the fish tank where there were a couple pieces of paper stapled together.

"Here are the pictures of each of them. Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane. And on this page is their dorm room info as well as a map of the place. But take care to avoid anyone else. It may be tricky because there are a lot of people at the dorms and around the school." Evie explained.

There are a lot of people. But there is one person there that concerns me the most. Which gave me an idea.

"You know, Evie? Remember that sleeping potion I gave you after we first arrived in Auradon?" I asked.

"Oh yeah! I still have it too! Packed somewhere, but if you give me a minute, I'm sure I can find it." Evie said.

"Find what?" Luka asked.

"A sleeping potion. It's contained in a perfume bottle. If you encounter someone who may try to get in your way, you use two sprays from the potion and they'll be out like a light." I explained.

"Yeah, I'll go get it!" Evie said.

Evie started towards the stairs, but Luka stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"That's alright, Evie. We'll pass on that." she said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We won't need that."

"But if you guys run into anyone-"

"Then we will deal with them our way. If we see someone we don't like, we'll kick their ass. Because that's what a pirate does." Marvelous said.

"Oh." Evie mumbled.

I was secretly worried about them. In fact, the idea of sneaking four people out of Auradon is kinda risky. I'm just afraid that if someone, like one of Ben's guards, Audrey, or Ben himself were to spot Carlos, Jay, Jane and Lonnie running off with suitcases and such, it's going to be hard to explain that. They can't say visiting family, because in Auradon, there is no holiday happening, plus their family is already in Auradon. Well, Jane's mother is, but Lonnie's is not. Although in Lonnie's favor, that could work. She's from Northern Wei.

But I'm not going to let myself worry too much. They'll be in good hands. I trust our friends. If they did defeat an entire space army like they said, then this will be easy to them.

"Okay. I'll leave it to you. I know you'll bring our family over safe and sound." I said.

"Of course we will." Luka said.

"What's the fastest speed your ship can travel?" Evie asked.

"A little over five hundred miles an hour." Marvelous replied.

"Oh yeah! It's wicked fast!" Luka said.

"You said "wicked". I like that." I said.

Luka gave a little wink.

"Well, we should be off. I plan on us being back here tonight." Marvelous said.

"I can't tell you enough how thankful I am to you for this." I said.

"Just make sure Evie has a nice dinner ready when we get back."

"Oh come on, you know I will." Evie said.

Marvelous smiled.

"Alright. See you tonight." he said.

"Bye." Evie and I said.

After Marvelous and Luka left the house, Evie and I screamed at each other in excitement.

"We're going to see our family!" Evie said.

"I know! This is great!" I said.

"Alright, I got to get started on the turkey." Evie said.

"And I'll start making sure the house is prepared. I'm sure some cleaning is in order." I said.

"Yes, baby." Evie said.

We walked in separate directions, with Evie going into the kitchen and me heading upstairs to the bathroom. I had to go. After I was finished, I walked to our closet and looked at all our clothes. I focused on the dress I wore when Evie returned home from her business trip.

"That will be the dress I'll wear."

I returned back downstairs to the kitchen to get a quick drink, when I noticed Evie with the turkey out of it's packaging. To my surprise, Evie was grabbing the wings of the turkey and was making it pretend to move around.

"You're a nice size. And you are going to be delicious to us. Yes you are. Yes you are." Evie said to it as she was pretending to make it dance.

"E, what are you doing?" I asked.

Evie had a surprised look on her face as I walked in on her playing around with the turkey.

"Nothing. Just seasoning the bird." Evie replied.

"_Right_." I said.

Playing with the dead turkey and making it pretend to dance is something I expect myself to do. Not Evie. And If I did that, I would hear a very loud "Mal!" and a lesson about salmonella. Anyway, Evie resumed prepping the bird while I walked into one of the guest bedrooms by the foyer. I was completing a mental checklist. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect for our family's arrival.

I noticed on the nightstand, there was some dust laying around. So I headed into the kitchen and grabbed a can of dust remover from underneath the sink as well as a washcloth nearby and headed back into the bathroom. I dusted off all the furniture in the room as well as the next room.

Next, I vacuumed the floors, straightened the bed sheets and lastly felt pretty satisfied after about twenty five minutes of work. I walked back into the kitchen and saw the turkey in the oven. Curious to see no sign of Evie, I started walking into the foyer, but as I walked towards the small hallway where the guest bedrooms are, Evie and I bumped into each other.

"Oh, baby! I was looking for you. I just want to tell you that I'm going to go into town and buy a dress as well as a few other things. Do you need me to get you anything.?" she asked.

"No. I think I'm good." I replied.

"Alright, see you soon."

We kissed and Evie was off.

Evie's POV

With most stores closing much earlier than normal, including the ones I needed to get to, I knew I had no time to waste. Traffic was acting like rush hour, when really it wasn't. But that's because everyone is trying to do things last minute. One thing that I had on my mind, that I never told Mal was, since she had her hair changed, I'm going to have my changed as well. I'm no longer going to keep the dark blue I have now. Instead, I'm going for a lighter shade of blue.

I went to a hair salon first and around an hour and half later, I was happy with how I looked. Next I went to the mall and shopped around for a new dress to wear. After looking for a bit, I found the perfect one. A navy blue dress that has a v neck and a v back which includes a train and a stylish silver belt. And the price was pretty good too. After that I headed to a store to buy some party cups and plates. As well as some party decor. Then I headed straight back home.

"Baby, I'm home!" I said as I walked in from the garage.

"Welcome home, Evie. I-whoa!" Mal exclaimed.

She instantly noticed my bright blue hair.

"What do you think?" I asked.

Mal was lost for words, but I saw she loved it.

"Beautiful, huh?" I asked.

"Absolutely." Mal replied.

"I had the inspiration from you. Now we're both going to surprise them." I said.

"Indeed." Mal said.

I put my stuff down and gave her a hug. Mal happily hugged me back. I put my hands on her cheeks and looked into her eyes.

"I love you so much." I said.

"I love you too." she said.

I cannot wait to propose to her tonight. I didn't really feel nervous anymore. I am so excited now. I know she will be both surprised and delighted. After a kiss, we got the kitchen ready by setting up the table and party decor around the living room and kitchen. The turkey was ready, the side dishes were cooked. All that's left is for our family to arrive.

[_Mal and Evie's home. 5:00 pm_]

Mal's POV

It is now five. Carlos texted me saying they'll be at our house very soon. Evie and I had just finished getting dressed up and ready for them. To this date, none of them knows about me changing my hair from purple to blonde. So I'm planning on surprising them the way I surprised Evie when she returned from her work trip.

"So you're going to be walking down the stairs?" Evie asked me as we stood at the top of the staircase.

"Yes. I figured I'd surprise them the way I surprised you." I responded.

Evie laughed.

"Sounds good, M."

The door bell was then heard.

"Oh my gosh! They're here!" Evie exclaimed.

"Here we go." I said.

Evie hurried me upstairs to our bedroom door. She then ran back downstairs to the front door. I was extremely nervous, but was excited more. I peeked around the wall that stood out a bit from our door and saw Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane.

"_My beautiful family._" I thought.

"Wow, Evie. You look great." Carlos said.

"I love the hair." Lonnie said.

"So pretty." Jane said.

"Thanks." Evie said.

"It's so great to see you again." Lonnie said.

"I missed you guys so much." Jay said.

"And you wouldn't believe how much we missed you." Evie said.

"Where's Mal?" Carlos asked.

That was my que. I took a deep breath, as I was very nervous, but kept my cool. The others followed Evie's focus on the stairs as I was seen walking down them. I smiled as I saw the shocked expressions on Carlos, Jay, Lonnie and Jane's face as they saw me.

"Hello, everyone." I greeted.

"_Daamn!_" Jay exclaimed, which caused me to laugh.

"Alright. I heard Jay's thoughts. What do the rest of you think?" I asked as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I thought you were pretty before, but now...wow." Carlos said.

"I agree. You're very beautiful." Lonnie said.

"Absolutely gorgeous." Jane added.

"Isn't she? She is like a goddess." Evie said, causing me to blush at her compliment.

Carlos was the first to give me a hug. Then Jay, followed by Jane and Lonnie.

"It is so good to see you all again." I said.

"Right back at you." Jane said.

"Indeed. It has been too long." Lonnie said.

"Well, shall we get this party started?" Jay asked.

"Yes! Are you guys hungry?" Evie asked.

"I thought you'd never ask." Marvelous said as he and Luka walked in.

"I sure am." Carlos said.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Follow me to the kitchen." Evie said.

Evie closed the door behind Luka and led us all into the kitchen. The six awed as they saw the thanksgiving feast set up on the dining table. We bought the big dining table just for this particular reason.

"Wow. This looks delicious." Lonnie said.

Marvelous gained an instant interest in the turkey. He went to grab a piece of it when Luka slapped his hand away.

"Ah! Back off! Where's your manners?!" she exclaimed to him.

Marvelous rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair while crossing his arms. Evie laughed and grabbed a knife.

"I know. Hold on." she said.

She began carving the turkey and put a slice on it on each of our plates. Beginning with Jane at the right and ending with me at the left. Then she filled our plates with the side dishes and lastly filled her plate.

"Okay, let's eat." she said.

"Yes!" Marvelous exclaimed.

We didn't say much as we were eating. Although Evie did get quite a bit of compliments on the food. Which I agree with. Evie really does know how to cook.

After a filling dinner, Evie suggested we should go out to the backyard and talk. So the eight of us headed outside.

"Is that a hot tub?" Carlos asked.

"It is." I replied.

"Very cool." Jay said.

Evie reached the gazebo first and started a fire in the fire pit as well as turned on the lights on the gazebo. We bought more lawn chairs to accommodate our six guests. We all took a seat in a chair and enjoyed the warmth the fire was giving. It was cold out, but the fire made us feel warmer.

"First off, how did things go with you leaving? Did you run into any complications?" I asked.

"Nope." Carlos replied.

"None at all." Lonnie said.

"There was hardly anyone around. We were able to easily dodge the people that were around." Marvelous said.

"That's good." Evie said.

"No sign of Ben? Or Audrey?" I asked.

"Nope." Jay replied.

"In fact, since you mentioned Audrey. We have something to tell you about her." Carlos said.

"Oh, what's that?" Evie asked.

"Audrey is different." Jane said.

"Different how?" I asked.

"Well, she's trying to be a nicer person. But the main thing is…"

"Carlos, what is it?" Evie asked.

"She knows that we know where you are." Jay said.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Well she doesn't know that we know exactly where." Jane said.

"Yeah, she doesn't know that you're here in Canada. She just knows that we know." Lonnie said.

"Is Audrey that one you told us about? The one that made your life miserable, Mal?" Marvelous asked.

"She is." I replied.

"Damn it! I knew there was someone there I wouldn't like. I should've asked for her dorm number. I could've gone over there and beat her up. Well, I still can, really."

"That won't be necessary. She said she wouldn't run off and tell anyone. And she hasn't. If she did, we would've been confronted by now. Which we haven't." Carlos said.

"Wow. Sounds like she really is trying to be a better person." Evie said.

"She misses you, Evie. She still loves you. And ever since you "disappeared", she's been grieving." Jane said.

"Well, we're not coming back." I said.

"And I told her that. I told her that you two are living a happy life. And I said that Evie is living a happy life. And I told Audrey that Evie could not be any happier. Not even with her." Carlos said.

"Ha! That told her." Marvelous said.

"So this Audrey had a crush on Evie, and fought Mal for her, but in the end, she lost?" Luka asked.

"Indeed." Evie replied.

"I see." Luka said.

"I just thought I oughta let you both know about that." Carlos said.

"I appreciate that, Carlos. Thanks." I said.

"I'm just so glad to see you all again. I really missed you all." Evie said.

"And we've missed you. Things are not the same without you." Lonnie said.

"But we try to continue to be happy. For you." Jane said.

"Same here. But how's school going? Are you boys doing your best?" I asked.

"We are." Jay said.

"We think to ourselves sometimes "what would Mal say?" or "what would Evie say?" and it keeps us out of trouble." Carlos said.

"Good boys." Evie said.

Evie's POV

As Carlos and Jay were telling another school story, Luka got up from her chair and tapped me on the shoulder. When I looked up at her, she signaled me to follow her. I got up and followed her back towards the house.

"It's dark out now. I think it's nearly time for you to propose to Mal." she said.

"I know. But I don't have the ring on me. It's hidden in my dresser in my room." I said.

"Go get it. Hurry."

"Okay."

I quickly ran back inside and upstairs to the bedroom. I ran to my dresser and opened the bottom drawer. I removed some pants and saw the ring box at the bottom of the drawer. I grabbed it and opened the box to see the beautiful ring. But I quickly closed the box and hid it behind me as I heard footsteps on the stairs. But I sighed in relief as Luka walked into the room.

"Luka." I said.

"Did you find it?" she asked.

I held up the box.

"Good. Now, you remember what you decided on? Short and loving. Don't go overboard. Just tell her how much you love her and then ask her. Because I don't think this will be very hard." she said.

"Right. No, I got it. I can do this. I'm not nervous at all. I'm very confident." I said.

"Good girl."

Luka walked with me back outside. But it was then I realized something.

"I don't have any pockets in this dress."

"I can hold onto the box. I'll stand right by you as you tell her how much you love her. And when you're ready to ask her, I'll quickly hand it to you."

"Great idea. Thanks."

I gave Luka the box and she slipped it into a pocket in her yellow jacket.

"I'm so indebted to you." I said.

"Just get that ring on Mal's finger."

I smiled and nodded at her before walking back up to the gazebo with Luka close behind.

"Oh, there you are, E. I was just telling them more about the renovation I did." Mal said.

"You did that because you love me very much." I said.

"I did. I love you, Evie."

"And I love you too, Mal. So much. And this house, we are going to spend the rest of our lives here. And we are going to spend our years together as well."

"We certainly will." Mal said.

"Do you know how much I love you?" I asked.

"I do."

"Yeah, I thought so. But I'll tell you again. I love you to the ends of this world. In fact, I love you to the ends of this universe." I said.

"That's a long way." Marvelous said, causing Luka to smack him on the arm.

"You've done a lot for me. And I've done a lot for you. And we both love each other for it. Which, come to think of it, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." I said.

"Sure, what is it?" Mal asked.

I smiled inside. Mal has no clue. And now, here is the big moment. I put my left hand behind me and snapped my fingers before opening my hand. After I felt the ring box placed in my hand, I held it out in front of me and kneeled down to Mal. Lonnie and Jane gasped as Jay and Carlos sat at the edge of their seats. Mal gasped in surprise as I opened the box to reveal the silver ring with the amethyst stone.

"Mal, will you marry me?"

Mal's POV

Oh my god. Did Evie just propose marriage to me? I stood there, looking at her, as she looked at me. A big smile formed on my lips as I started panting, my emotions about to spiral out of control. I couldn't think of what to say, except the obvious answer.

"Yes! Yes, Evie! I will marry you! Oh my god, yes!" I exclaimed.

I started crying as Evie and I pulled each other into a kiss. The others started clapping as we had our kiss. Evie took my right hand and slipped the ring onto my finger.

"Wow. I never thought I would ever get engaged. I love you, Evie."

"I love you too, Mal. Always and always." Evie said.

"Congrats, you two." Luka said.

"Thanks, Luka. Thanks for your help." Evie said.

"My pleasure."

"And thanks for your help too."

Marvelous smiled and nodded at Evie.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" I asked.

"She helped me with planning the proposal." Evie replied.

"When?" I asked.

"When she and Marvelous were last here. I had you go with him to the store so Luka and I could talk in private. And just a few minutes ago too."

I looked at Evie with disbelief, but quickly smiled and laughed.

"Oh, you. I love you so much." I said.

"I love you too." Evie said.

"This is great! You two are getting married!" Lonnie exclaimed.

"Any ideas on what your wedding will look like?" Jane asked.

"That I can't help you with." Luka said.

"That's alright. I haven't begun to think of that yet." Evie replied.

"Let's take it slow first." I suggested.

"Agreed."

Evie looked at me as I was admiring the ring.

"This is beautiful, Evie. Thank you." I said.

"You're welcome, baby."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We hugged and kissed again.

"Now that was showy." Marvelous said as he got up from his chair.

"What was?" Evie asked.

"The way you proposed to her. I couldn't even tell you were about to. I have to say, that was brilliant."

"It certainly was." I said.

"I was nervous at first, but I knew you would say yes to me." Evie said.

"Indeed."

There was a moment of silence before Jane spoke.

"Wow, the city lights are pretty." she said.

We looked where she was looking: across the harbor. I grabbed Jane's hand and walked her over to the end of the backyard, closer to the view with the others following.

"We got a really good deal on this house." Evie said.

Just then, a phone was heard ringing. It was Luka's. She took her phone out of her pocket and answered the call.

"Hello?...Oh, hi, Ahim! No, this isn't a bad time. What's up?"

We all looked at her as she was listening to her sister on the other end.

"Really? That's great! I'll tell Marvelous right away…Alright, love you too. Bye."

"What is it?" Marvelous asked.

"Ahim and Joe have found a significant clue to an ancient treasure that's hidden here on Earth." Luka replied.

"It's not going to be like that cheap stuff we found in the South Pacific, is it?"

"Definitely not."

"Well, we better go then."

"Aw, you're leaving?" Evie asked.

"I'm afraid so." Luka replied.

"That's too bad. We were going to invite you both to spend the night." I said.

"That's alright. Besides, we've done what we were going to do. Had dinner, watched you two get engaged. No point in us being here anymore tonight." Marvelous said.

"Don't worry. We'll be back at the end of the week to take the others back home." Luka said.

"That's right. You'll see us again. And If we ever want a delicious home cooked meal, we know where to go." Marvelous said, looking at Evie, which made her blush a bit.

"Thank you again for bringing us here." Carlos said.

"Don't worry about it." Marvelous said.

"We were glad to." Luka said.

"I have to ask, when you saved Mal and Evie from those guys that were trying to kidnap them and bringing us over here, why did you do it? I mean, I'm truly grateful for what you've done for us and them. I really am. I was just wondering what made you like them." Jay said.

"I like to think of them of a treasure worth having." Luka replied as she looked at me and Evie.

"And all we are are just pirates. We saved them, we were paid back with dinner. We brought you all here, and we were paid with dinner. That's all there is to it." Marvelous said.

I could tell that brought some awkwardness to Marvelous as he looked at all of us a final time before turning around.

"_Ja ne_." he said with a small wave from his left hand.

A sound in the sky was then heard. We looked to our right in the sky and exclaimed in awe as we saw the massive red flying galleon flying towards our direction. The moonlit night made it easy to see. The ship stopped above us with two ropes being sent down. Marvelous grabbed one rope and Luka grabbed the other one. She smiled and waved at us before they were both pulled into the ship. We said "bye" and waved as we watched the ship head up into the night sky. We didn't know where they were going, but inside, I wished them well on their treasure hunt.

"It's getting colder out here." Jay said.

"Indeed." I said.

"Let's head back inside." Evie said.

She put out the fire and turned off the gazebo lights before following us back inside the house. It was then the others were starting to get tired from the long trip over here as Jane was the first to deeply yawn.

"You guys had a long trip. You can go to bed now if you'd like." Evie said.

"Yeah! I'll show you to your rooms." I said.

After the four followed me into the foyer, they grabbed their suitcases and followed me to the small hallway.

"So here's the two guest bedrooms and the bathroom right behind me. I'll let you choose your rooms." I said.

"Lonnie and I will take this room. Is that cool, Carlos?" Jay asked.

"Yeah. Jane and I will be good here." Carlos replied.

"Yeah." Jane said.

"They are both the same, you guys. It doesn't make any difference." I said with a smile.

"Goodnight." Evie said as she approached us.

"Goodnight, Evie." the four said.

They each hugged her and then hugged me as we said goodnight to each other along with Evie and I giving each of them a kiss on the cheek. After they were in their rooms, I followed Evie to the kitchen to help her clean up. Most of the food was gone, but there was still enough for leftovers which can be used for lunch tomorrow.

After I packed away the food and stored it in the refrigerator, I looked at Evie, who was spraying down the table, removing some food stains. Our first Thanksgiving in Canada. And it went wonderful. But it needs an ending. And I know just how to do it.

"Hey, E."

"Hi, babe. What's up?"

"This."

I made her put the spray bottle down and pulled her into a french kiss. Evie moaned after as I hugged her.

"Are you finished cleaning?" I asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Good."

I turned off the kitchen lights and Evie squealed as I picked her up off her feet.

"We're going to our bedroom." I said.

"Oh, yay!." Evie said.

We kissed before I carried her up the stairs to our room to have a fun time in our bed.

"My beautiful fiance. I love you." I said.

"I love you too, my beautiful fiance." Evie said.


End file.
